[throwfh80h82]

I worked for a large, late stage, Softbank backed company. They brought in some C-suite execs while I was there. A CTO paid several million annually with large, public company experience. They were totally clueless, and the engineering org was almost revolting within 6 months, trying to stage a coup to the CEO. No technical experience, no leadership, installing cronies, speaking in opaque platitudes.

I'm not angry about it, though they did oversee us being on the cusp of a promising IPO to a pretty bad outcome that cost me a lot of money, but I'll say that any illusion that you have to be competent to be a C-suite exec, and any imposter syndrome I ever had, went out the window after that. Ironically it increased my personal confidence, if these idiots can do it I certainly can.

I think the old saying "nobody gets fired for buying IBM" kinda applies to some execs maybe, like nobody gets fired for hiring some stellar resume exec with lots of experience, but they may get fired for taking a chance on an upstart.

[anonreeeeplor]

I worked at the same company.

This company has uniquely terrible CEO leadership who systematically have a track record of very poorly choosing senior leadership, recklessly changing the culture and doing zero to curate innovation, people development.

All of the talent left, mostly to direct competitors who will now be super charged to annihilate them.

This May one day become one of the saddest case studies, along with how Intel has shaped up, but the damage is going to show up everywhere for years to come.

Having burned very significant energy at this company, I am deeply sad to see the most garbage humans left in charge and also deeply glad to see the talented people effusion to great roles where they will mop the floor with this company.

[Gunnerhead]

Uber?

[dglass]

Sounds more like wework.

[throwaway7653]

Pretty sure I was your coworker.

The interesting thing about that company is how badly it failed at filling executive roles with promotions from within OR experienced hands.

Fundamentally, the CTO failed because in their previous success, they built it from the ground-up. They had zero experience trying to take over a large org, came in like a bull in a china shop, and worst of all, made a lot of very costly, morale-destroying mistakes.

But see also the Chief Product Officer who left in disgrace or the quasi-COO who also left in disgrace. They were both promoted from within well past their level of proven competence.

The common thread? The CEO who made all of those decisions. Executive hiring requires a CEO with the ability to reflect on their personal shortcomings and those of the team. And then, they need the ability to attract and evaluate candidates. And even if they do that successfully, they need the ability to meld a group of these execs into a highly functional team.

Our CEO only had the ability to hire people he saw as junior versions of himself.

[AceJohnny2]

Were we at the same company?

I joke. I probably wouldn't have called us "large", but otherwise your story matches my experience word-for-word, which says something about the industry...

[voz_]

Uber?

[lmm]

I worked at a company that mostly matches this story, but I think is probably not the one you mean.