[taylorwc]

Google did indeed try it[0].

"In 2002 they experimented with a completely flat organization, eliminating engineering managers in an effort to break down barriers to rapid idea development and to replicate the collegial environment they’d enjoyed in graduate school. That experiment lasted only a few months: They relented when too many people went directly to Page with questions about expense reports, interpersonal conflicts, and other nitty-gritty issues."

[0] https://hbr.org/2013/12/how-google-sold-its-engineers-on-man...