I spent 17 years at another tech megacorp and spent the bulk of my time there as an intrapreneur. For me, it was a series of "anointed" roles where I was depend

I spent 17 years at another tech megacorp and spent the bulk of my time there as an intrapreneur. For me, it was a series of "anointed" roles where I was dependent on (and tied to) a particular sponsor. The sponsor operated on different levels of transparency with their leaders. While I liked the idea of being a "cowboy," it ended up being a serious detriment to my career at that company. The work I did was mostly director and above level, but the recognition/salary was far less. My last sponsor made enough enemies in the "establishment" that he got RIFfed and I got hung out to dry and was RIFfed on the next round.