I've worked in big companies, small companies, start-ups, and in places with no managers at all. Basically, any time you have a couple of monkeys and a banana

I've worked in big companies, small companies, start-ups, and in places with no managers at all. Basically, any time you have a couple of monkeys and a banana in the same room, you're going to get politics. That's the way humans appear to be wired. On the other hand, there are degrees of meritocracy, from the soul-crushing bullshit you get as a leaf-node in a high-tech behemouth (that is to say, none), to the hardscrabble and pragmatic existence you might find in a start-up (you can do the job . . . and you're the janitor? "You're fucking hired, here, have a Aeron and a keyboard and a soda, and don't stop typing").