3/26    I used to work at this tiny little company that was very cool
        and meritocracy worked. But as the company grew so did the
        level of politics and power struggle people had to play, along
        with very territorial management that partitioned the company
        into incohesive parts. Meritocracy still exists though it seems
        to play a much smaller role now. I want to ask you guys. As the
        size of the company grows, does the suckiness grow as well?
        At this point, I'm very disillusioned.          -big company worker
        \_ Suckiness is relative. There are things that suck about working
           at a little company, too. However, politics usually does grow
           as the size of the company grows.
        \_ My experience has been the exact opposite. In little start-ups,
           the people that get drunk with the VPs get all the plum assignments
           and promotions. In bigger companies, they actually do things like
           performance evals and competence matters more. But there is
           office politics (meaning, you have to be well liked by people)
           in both environments.
        \_ Sorry to hear it.  I had the same experience, and it really
           sucked to watch a great place to work slowly turn into a pit.
           My mistake was staying too long (overly sentimental about the
           good old days, or something like that).  In my experience, larger
           companies are unable to maintain high standards in hiring.  They
           need to hire too many people just to keep up, and can't afford
           to be as selective.  Good people don't tend to apply for jobs at
           the larger companies, so they select themselves out of that job
           pool.  Managers at larger companies tend to have larger numbers
           of people reporting to them, so they can't pay as much attention
           to what their employees are doing.  Expectations are lowered.
           Individual productivity is lower.  Middle managers more interested
           in building an empire for themselves and engaging in political
           infighting than in doing something constructive get in and stick
           around like ticks.  Reviews and performance evals seem more like
           mechanisms for denying or limiting raises at large companies.  At
           small companies, communication tends to be a bit more open.  At
           small companies, it's harder for losers to get hired, and they don't
           tend to last long.  Have you noticed that some of your favorite
           coworkers have left over the years?  Find out where they went.  See
           if they're hiring.  Good luck.
           \_ This is really great advice, thanks!!!
           \_ How big were these small companies you worked at?