[atomicnumber3]

I never worked for apple, but huge companies with established, incumbent cash flows and huge moats can bear a truly, spectacularly, mind-bogglingly incredible amount of internal dysfunction while still generally going forward. This can make it really crushing to be a sensible, well-intended single person inside this beast where you have essentially no power yourself.

[ForTheKidz]

Yes. And part of why you're paid exorbitantly at these places is to absorb, manage, and counteract this dysfunction. This can be exhausting and lonely work.

[gcr]

this is a deeply insightful comment, thank you.

i worked at a FAANG for six years and this matches my experience. there's a variety of responses:

- to burn out. sometimes the flameout is spectacular, other times it's a quiet, lonely exit.

- to "go with the flow." soft-quit, accept that the dysfunction is there and narrow your own expectations within it

- (rarely) to productively challenge it, and -- through picking battles and careful resource management -- push through and make something truly good for yourself or your reports.

this is situational. all three are often present in one career at different times.

[snailmailstare]

Counteract might be the wrong word.. The ongoing dysfunction doesn't fall from the sky, it is largely a consequence of people prioritizing the goals they are assigned for the betterment of their group, etc.

[nullc]

> and counteract this dysfunction

correction: and facilitate this dysfunction