It's not quite accurate to equate 'democratized management' with 'no management'. Anarchized management might be a better term for the kind of wild west bossle

It's not quite accurate to equate 'democratized management' with 'no management'. Anarchized management might be a better term for the kind of wild west bossless system at Valve. (I mean anarchy as an organizational system, not a casual pejorative term). The author does make a good point that organizational structure and decision-making is an area ripe for innovation and improvement. And it does indeed seem to be one where new companies have a distinct advantage over existing ones. A lot of the things people dislike in traditional management hierarchies are also things that are ultimately bad for the company overall and its shareholders - excessive politics, slow decision-making, etc.