I don’t think it is intentional or malicious. I think it’s more likely that in big bureaucracies management is seen as the most important function of business.

I don’t think it is intentional or malicious. I think it’s more likely that in big bureaucracies management is seen as the most important function of business. Managers see their work as “important” and not just the admin that supports the real function of the delivering product. If you’ve ever sat in a meeting where management spent the whole time talking, instead of asking the team that does the work how could we improve our current processes, that’s what’s happening. You’ve run smack bang into the collective ego of multilayered management. Small startups succeed in part because the lines of communication are small. The ratio of those “ordering” the work to those “doing” the work is low and feedback is possible. In big enterprises outsourcing looks like a great idea because value only comes from management and workers are just a cost centre. Cheap is better than expensive if you think everything is a commodity.