> This question always gets posted to HN, and is always the top comment whenever an article talks about how many people Company XYZ has. Perhaps because there

> This question always gets posted to HN, and is always the top comment whenever an article talks about how many people Company XYZ has. Perhaps because there hasn't been a good answer yet. > For every N people you hire, you'll need a manager to manage them, and for every N of those managers, you'll need a second level manager, and so on. But clearly that's not absolutely necessary, because already we know that two uncoordinated companies can make 4 units with 20 staff each. If the second level manager isn't providing enough value in terms of eliminating duplicated work then they shouldn't be hired. Of course diminishing returns are going to set in, and bureaucratic inefficiency is a law of nature, but I see your answer as more shallow a dismissal than the question deserves.