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Yeah. Large companies are lead by idiots. That's why they are so large.

• adventured 10y ago
  No, they got large because they weren't previously lead by idiots. Then they get large and then they rot. History is littered with endless examples: HP, IBM, GM, Kodak, Sony, Xerox, Sears, Pan Am, US Steel, Nokia. Some of them collapsed entirely, some still struggle on, some recovered only to rot again. It's rare that mega corps don't go through some variation of a rot cycle due to the accumulation of poor leaders at the top once they get large enough and far enough away from the original vision and leadership that got them to the top.
  • blahi 10y ago
    You are oversimplifying this to the point where your conclusion is almost completely wrong. There are many factors which contribute to the decline of companies. For example there was an article about Kodak on HN and why it failed. The inertia was too strong in that case. Differences in goals and objectives is another very popular reason. I understand it's tempting to think your bosses are morons but they rarely are.
    • dkarapetyan 10y ago
      So if Kodak leadership was full of geniuses how come it failed? Companies often get large not because of leadership but because they happen to be at the right place at the right time with the right idea. Plenty of people have the right idea but they rarely happen to be at the right place and time.
      • blahi 10y ago
        I pointed you out (sort of) to why Kodak failed. It had MASSIVE facilities with 10s of thousands of employees making industrial chemicals. You cannot snap your fingers and transition to another business model.
        • dkarapetyan 10y ago
          Indeed. Why do you think a giant software company is any different? Having incompetent leadership just exasperates the problem. Your assumption was intelligence of leadership somehow mattered and I pointed out you are incorrect. Leadership intelligence doesn't matter as much as people think.
          • blahi 10y ago
            - Leadership at large companies are not morons. - Why Kodak failed then? - Kodak failed because of inertia. - Leadership intelligence doesn't matter. Do you hear that? That's the sound of the logic chain breaking.
            • dkarapetyan 10y ago
              Don't hear it. All I hear is someone that thinks leadership at large companies can make a difference. Oh wait, I did hear a logic chain breaking there. The break was caused by some kind of pre-conceived notions about leaders making a difference.
              • blahi 10y ago
                Can't help you if logic falls on deaf ears.