"Top-down" has become an epithet that disgruntled engineers throw around, but the reality is that there are problems at all layers of an org, and they should be

"Top-down" has become an epithet that disgruntled engineers throw around, but the reality is that there are problems at all layers of an org, and they should be solved at the appropriate level. Trying to solve every problem top-down manifests as micro-management that beats the morale and initiative out of strong ICs. But on the other hand, trying to address everything bottoms-up leads to local maxima, no standardization across tech or product, and warring factions within the company. There is real art to this. Being able to grok the incentives and structures of a vertical slice through the org (C-level, VP, Director, Mgr, IC) as well as the tech (Brand, Product, Pages, Components, APIs, Middleware, Storage, Infra) is a rare and extremely valuable talent that allows solving problems that are impenetrable by any traditionally defined role.