As someone that joined a legacy company 6 months ago to weather the recession, I agree with the majority of what you said. You are talking entrenched interests

As someone that joined a legacy company 6 months ago to weather the recession, I agree with the majority of what you said. You are talking entrenched interests in keeping the way things are. Especially those that have worked in the company for years. They don't want change, because change would threaten their position. It has been very difficult to adjust to the culture personally. On the one hand, I hardly have any work. On the other, I am struggling with the meaningless work assigned to me. The tech is abysmal, but given the culture, it's not worth dying on this hill. Countless people have tried before. You can accept it or move on. I am staying around because of the economic environment. The upside is that I am free to work on my side projects because my IP clause is strictly related to work only. I don't expect much else because it can't offer any other than words.