Business Idiot

This article was an excellent read and introduced me to the concept of a business idiot. Such a perfect name. 

We live in the era of the symbolic executive, when "being good at stuff" matters far less than the appearance of doing stuff, where "what's useful" is dictated not by outputs or metrics that one can measure but rather the vibes passed between managers and executives that have worked their entire careers to escape the world of work. Our economy is run by people that don't participate in it and our tech companies are directed by people that don't experience the problems they allege to solve for their customers, as the modern executive is no longer a person with demands or responsibilities beyond their allegiance to shareholder value.

The erosion of real leadership at the top has baneful consequences all the way down. The pain is experienced in a different way based on where you sit in the food chain. eroded Leadership of the kind that the author refers to is a  performative, self-serving class that values appearance over actual results.

 This as the author notes, gives way to the "rot economy," where companies degrade their own products and services to placate shareholders, and where the adoption of technologies like AI is driven more by managerial ignorance and fear of missing out than by genuine utility. He  highlights the complicity of media and journalism in perpetuating these dynamics, the problematic nature of remote work debates, and the broader societal consequences of elevating style over substance in both business and government.

The thick layer of middle mangers in large tech companies are all about useless, performative work rituals that are held up as talismans to ward off bad outcomes. Intellect or imagination are entirely optional.