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Something most people don't think about with large companies:

They aren't monoliths. Your experience could be totally different in a different part of the company. 300k people is going to create a ton of variance.

That said, I've found the larger the company, the more politics matters. And the more politics matters, the less your performance matters, and the more the other things matter.

Personally, if given my way, I might never work for a company over ~50 people, again. (I'm working for a small firm now. And pretty happy overall.)

The ability to walk up to high management and get a fairly straight answer on what is going on, is something you simply can't get in a 300k company.




There was an abusive manager (cursing, shouting, making subordinates cry) at a 200+k employee client I worked at. Subordinates told HR. I assumed they would fire him but they transferred him. I asked my manager because that seemed bonkers to me. He explained that that group had jobs to do that were low priority, had their own building, could only be transferred to. You couldn't leave except by quitting/retiring.

Some beancounter had figured out that the price of letting these horrible people wear each other out and quit was lower than firing for cause and facing lawsuits.

Sometimes at other clients I've wondered if the department I'm working with is their "roach motel" department.


I had heard of the Japanese just putting you in a room with nothing to do instead of firing you, but this sounds next level. They basically created a corporate version of hell, where people don't truly die but have to endure others sinners for eternity.


Sad thing is: When you said him... I can replace your friend and the manager into the rest of the paragraph and it makes sense.

But I could see that at any firm, in the right situation.




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