[rawgabbit]

I don’t believe it is that mysterious or revolutionary. What PG is describing is the “optimization of local maximum” problem.

Founders focus on the strategic goal. Managers focus on tactical goals. Rules and processes are put in place to efficiently achieve these tactical goals. The problem is, in certain situations, these local process are at odds with the broader goal. Only the Founder has the authority to break the bureaucratic rules.

My favorite example is from the film Zulu when the British quartermaster adamantly dispenses ammo per the rule book and a long queue of desperate soldiers form up. Nevermind the British were out numbered 10 or 20 to 1 and should be firing their rifles as quickly as possible and using up all their ammo as quickly as possible.

https://youtu.be/8xjCX_TXkyU

[baby]

Do managers focus on tactical goals? Or do the engineers do that? Managers are more like the glue of the system, they don’t really provide much value besides that.

[sramam]

In the enterprise, the cost of failure to ones career/reputation is unreasonably high. pg's reference to "most skillful liars in the world" stuck out to me.

The extreme conservatism employed by managers to prevent failure - can only be summed up as "success at any cost". The consequence is decisions that spread the pain far and wide.

Unfortunately, these managers are not accountable for these consequences.

It's no winder that solutions take longer, cost more, are sub-optimal at almost every level. Furthermore, they very painful for the poeple who have to suffer these solutions. But hey, some unrelated manager-chain can claim success.

The worst of it is, these managers rinse-and-repeat at their next gig!

[aiisjustanif]

Depends on what the responsibilities of your lowest managers are.

[ivan_burazin]

This is a great example, truly https://youtu.be/8xjCX_TXkyU