Early in my career, at larger companies, I saw some of this but I had the opposite problem in smaller companies. It's one of the reasons I left tech - too many

Early in my career, at larger companies, I saw some of this but I had the opposite problem in smaller companies. It's one of the reasons I left tech - too many clients with unrealistic expectations. I do recall briefly a (publicly traded) company where there would be weeks of almost nothing to do and then a frenetic rush to implement whatever had come down from on high. Guess you've got to decide what you want in your career... for many people if they can coast along and make good money, it's a good deal. My concern in that scenario would be what happens when the company hits a rough patch or gets bought out and you find yourself a 50 something who has been semi retired in place for a decade.