The problem is that you&#x27;re assuming productivity is based on individual merit in these companies.<p>They&#x27;re so large that essentially nothing about your personal output has any real effect on your individual productivity. It&#x27;s equal parts politicking, luck, and self-promotion that garners you kudos, not actually getting anything done.<p>In a dysfunctional organization, like I daresay yahoo is at this point, you don&#x27;t lose anything by firing people who are unable to contribute due to organizational problems.<p>As an example, when I worked at AT&amp;T, individual and project success was decided essentially based on the whim of management.<p>I don&#x27;t think we went 3 months with the same remit, organization, management structure or goals.<p>In that kind of situation, much like I perceive Yahoo to be, there&#x27;s really no point in attempting to achieve productive work since the targets change before you can actually do anything. It&#x27;s pathologically better to focus on shifting blame and self-aggrandizement, so that when things inevitably fail you can dump it on a scapegoat. There&#x27;s a reason I don&#x27;t work there any more.