Tesla

The stock rally was great in 2020. It is good to learn how software used to be developed prior to the 1990s.

Scrum-ish iterative Waterfall development process with various one-size-fits-all processes. Forget about 1970s Toyota lean values (not practices); you will build software like you're in an assembly line of one of Henry Ford's factories, with time bosses and masters around you ready to take credit.

Middle managers tell you how to engineer software. Rigid chain of command.

Middle management seems to be fighting tooth and nail for their personal survival with various power moves and establishing a loyalty-based hierarchy.

Management is never wrong; you are.

Trust and respect are earned by doing exactly how and what the middle micro-management wants you to do as fast as humanly possible. You will likely be elevated to a valuable resource category and promoted if trusted, but you will always be a body.

Placating middle management is tantamount for career success past Staff-level engineer; exceptions rarely happen.

The company attracts colleagues that actively politically compete against you on the same team.

Showing off your engineering skills tends to be perceived as a threat.

Lasagna code project structure and very low-quality codebase.

Teams are reshuffled and reorganized constantly every year or two, with almost no choice to work with people you want to work with long-term. Teams are not self-organized.

Shut up or get fired.

Two options: retire or stay for as long as you can.