Stubborn, zero business acumen, dishonest , intolerably arrogant
Yes it is is difficult to stand the above qualities, and even harder when they add no value to the bottom line, do easy work stuck in a corner in their lab ir on their big screen monitors.
And yes research helps us have talking points for investors but largely it is a waste of money. Nothing to show for, failed projects don’t help build any i ternal confidence either.
The most toxic individuals I have worked with in exxon have been part of the research company, specifically Upstream Research Company. They’ve spent billions knowlingly on failed projects. It is even true today, an internal audit must be done on the valuation claims of all Upstream projects, they are inflated numbers.