Big companies can run as 'safer' startups. We took something that was a sales pitch/demo and expanded it into a nicely engineered production system that was ma

Big companies can run as 'safer' startups. We took something that was a sales pitch/demo and expanded it into a nicely engineered production system that was making 8-10M a year internally. That was eventually gobbled up by another group who made even bigger promises. For that financial safety, there is no great financial reward. Every organization runs differently - some feel like excellent navigators, some real chuckle heads - and that part can shift. The flip side is it is easier to shift yourself internally too. For every cool project, there are probably a dozen legacy programs that need work. Fixing broken can be interesting - but leadership needs to be interesting in improving things vs seeing how long they can drive it without changing the oil. Flee those organizations or be the agent of change. Individuals can matter, but generally one has to have impact beyond their 'day' job. An excellent line order cook won't really have impact. A sous chef / master sergeant can change an org, which can also change something larger. Don't underestimate the domain knowledge. It really helps to understand what the business actually does (or needs to do). Coding to a spec without understanding the why usually produces mediocre results, which is often the norm.