I joined up during the Bill O. days. We had a healthy pipeline of new discoveries and projects, executed on MCPs relatively well, real turnaround on safety culture and empowering the workforce, we focused on running the business well and supporting operations, teams and organizations felt more like communities, company sponsored team buildings offsite, we treated contractors like people, probably a lot more I can’t remember.
Maybe it’s rosy nostalgia, or maybe I was young and didn’t know any better. But I feel this frog has been boiled slowly for two decades in a stew of toxic and vapid vulture corporatism. We don’t make discoveries anymore, we acquire discoveries and good companies (and ruin them lol). We don’t inspire talent to do their best, we hire the cheapest folks that can do the minimally required. I feel this company has turned into the poster child for the toxic companies and cultures meme’s refer to. Maybe it's a sign of the times. Maybe it’s consistent with an overall trend in US. Or maybe I’m just older and grumpier.