The Corporate Conundrum: Why Are People Drawn to Large Organizations?

Entering the corporate world can feel like stepping into an entirely different universe—one that’s often met with confusion and frustration. After spending a significant portion of my early career—around eight years—at a small, flat-structured company with roughly 200 employees, I assumed I had a solid understanding of professional dynamics. My previous environment was simple and straightforward: the organizational structure included just three layers—CEO, supervisor, and junior staff. In this setting, collaboration and direct lines of communication were the norm.

However, my recent transition to a Fortune 500 company has turned that perception on its head. What I experienced was, quite frankly, disheartening and has resonated with countless others in similar positions, as reflected in discussions on platforms like Reddit. In my new role, I encountered a workplace rife with unhealthy competition, where managers often seemed more focused on playing a game of telephone than on fostering team cohesion. Sabotage of one’s colleagues and rampant negativity appeared to be the order of the day. This toxic culture clashed so profoundly with my personal values that I ultimately chose to leave and explore the idea of starting my own business.

For nearly a decade, I believed that the professional world operated on a simple principle: show up, do your best, support your team, drive the company’s success, and return home fulfilled. However, my experience in the corporate landscape seemed to contradict that philosophy entirely. Instead of collaboration, I witnessed a pervasive culture of gossip, information hoarding, and schemes to undermine others. My days were less about adding value and more about navigating a minefield of office politics.

This leads me to ponder a critical question: why do so many people willingly gravitate toward these environments? Is it possible that there are individuals who genuinely want to invest 20 to 30 years of their lives in such a framework without reservation?

This stark contrast left me pondering: am I missing something fundamental? While I acknowledge my relative inexperience in large corporations, it feels as though the underlying mentality is profoundly misguided. I can’t help but wonder how this behavior is deemed productive or successful within the corporate structure. If the strategies I witnessed were truly effective, why would the work environment be so toxic and adversarial?

I crave a sense of closure or clarity. Throughout my time in the corporate setting, I constantly felt that this couldn’t possibly be the norm. Yet day after day, my colleagues seemed unfazed, moving about