As a previous EM at a FAANG, I'm very conflicted by this post. On one hand, it is quite useful and representative of some of the behind-the-scenes shenanigans that I wish I was aware of at the time that would've made my life easier. On the other hand, it is representative of the time and effort wasted on political bullshit at big tech that could certainly have been put to better use. TL;DR: Thanks, I hate it.
Most of it is bullshit, but "I'm going to do X unless you tell me not to" is really good even at companies with a minimum of political shenanigans. It lets you politely and safely take ownership of stuff off of busy people.
