Meta

Compensation, talent pool, food, and brand name.

The organizational structure includes multiple management layers (M0→M1→M2, D0→D1→D2, VP0→VP1→VP2), which creates bureaucracy and slower decision-making processes.

The majority of managers lack deep technical knowledge, leading to challenges when individual contributors try to advocate for technical decisions or demonstrate impact. Since performance ratings are controlled by the managers, there is pressure on ICs to "align" with their managers regardless of the technical merit.

The promotion and review system (PSC) has structural issues. Employees who understand how to "navigate" the system can advance more easily than those focused primarily on product impact, which can be demoralizing for engineers prioritizing actual results over perception management.

Leadership should review whether the current promotion and performance review systems are effectively identifying and rewarding employees who deliver meaningful product impact versus those who have simply learned to "navigate" the process.

Look at your R&D spend over the past decade along multiple dimensions and the ROI. Metaverse, Llama, VR headsets, and yet here you are.