Your Middle Managers are Trash. Don’t Let them Gaslight You

TC: 325 YOE:6 I’ve been working in big tech for about 4 years. Prior to my time at Meta and before TikTok, I was in the Air Force as Pararescue. I then earned a Masters in Political Science. I’ve been published 6 times. I then worked at US State Department where I managed teams of 60 and published reports that have made it into the PDB. I took a role as an IC in tech because government work doesn’t pay particularly well. Suffice to say, in addition to my technical role, I’m also a domain subject matter expert. Since joining big tech, I’ve been flabbergasted at the amount of gaslighting I’ve seen with mid level managers and even directors. Managers will often flaunt their position and exploit it in order to go on trips that are unnecessary and irrelevant, they often turn down ideas from subordinates who have far more experience only to discover that person was right down the road, and they love to hoard information. For organizations that pride themselves on being flat, there’s an excessive amount of hierarchical stovepipes that are manifesting. Managers also LOVE meetings. Any opportunity to get in front of their boss to get a belly rub. They have no agenda, they talk about nothing and congratulate themselves on work that the ICs did. The lack of leadership that can be emulated is sick. There are literally kids with undergraduate degrees gaslighting ICs with PHds and actual, real world subject matter expertise into thinking their ideas are irrelevant. It would be unheard of for a fresh Air Force Academy Graduate to tell a Flight Chief that they don’t know what they’re talking about. Basically there’s no leadership worthy of learning from in Tech because the experienced folks are on the bottom of the pyramid not at the top. These asshats will then PIP people while never having to worry about it themselves. Awful system. My point is, if you’re an IC who has practical experience, don’t listen to these absolute tool sheds who are implying that you don’t know what they do. They have the job because they were there when opportunity arrived or were hired by someone who was not because they earned it. You know what you’ve done. Remember your worth Gut middle management!