Large tech companies don't need heroes

"Large tech companies operate via systems. What that means is that the main outcomes - up to and including the overall success or failure of the company - are driven by a complex network of processes and incentives. These systems are outside the control of any particular person. Like the parts of a large codebase, they have accumulated and co-evolved over time, instead of being designed from scratch."

"In large tech companies, good software often seems like it is produced by accident, as a by-product of individual people responding to their incentives. However, that's just the way it has to be. A shared belief in the mission can cause a small group of people to prioritize good software over their individual benefit, for a little while. But thousands of engineers can't do that for decades. Past a certain point of scale, companies must depend on the strength of their systems."

Large tech companies rely on complex systems of processes and incentives that collectively determine outcomes, including success or failure. Many of these processes are explicit, such as OKRs and promotion criteria, while others are informal, like backchannel conversations that shape consensus. Individual effort can produce good software temporarily, often as a by-product of personal incentives or mission-driven groups, but scalable success requires robust systemic design. Engineers often seek to fix local inefficiencies out of discomfort with waste, and some improvements—process changes, tests, cleanup—are necessary, though systemic alignment remains the core driver of long-term effectiveness.

Read at Seangoedecke