The biggest source of waste is untapped skilled pragmatists

Scope of “Ownership”

• Disagreement over whether “ownership” is a “mushy” term.
• Some see real ownership as legal equity and decision power; otherwise it’s scapegoating: responsibility without authority.
• Others report strong non‑equity ownership: feeling pride, being recognized as “the person behind X,” and getting career and emotional rewards.
• “Ownership” is seen as toxic when it means blame and unpaid extra work, with no real control.

Work Ethic, Quiet Quitting, and Fake Work

• Several commenters say they now do the minimum (e.g., 1–2 hours of focused work) after being burned by layoffs or politics.
• Others argue this is unethical or self‑sabotaging: promotions and growth require going beyond the bare minimum.
• Counterpoint: in many orgs, extra effort yields little reward beyond more work; raises/promotions often track politics, not contribution.
• Widespread sense that much corporate work is low- or zero-value “box‑ticking” or misdirected projects.

Recognition, Politics, and Promotions

• Repeated stories of quiet high performers passed over while visible self‑promoters advance.
• Advice: explicitly communicate impact (“wins” docs, regular check‑ins), or you risk being invisible even with strong metrics.
• Some see this as structural: managers don’t understand the work deeply, so they reward performance theater.

Layoffs and Motivation

• Many report being laid off despite deep expertise; selections often felt random or driven by location/organizational charts, not performance.
• This pushes some from “change agent” to disengaged pragmatist: why take risks for an employer that won’t reciprocate?
• Others caution against overgeneralizing from single bad experiences, but concede large layoffs rarely distinguish finely among contributors.

How Common Are “Skilled Pragmatists”?

• Skepticism about the article’s claim that they are ~75% of staff. Estimates in discussion are far lower.
• Distinction drawn between raw intelligence, brilliance, and pragmatic judgment; commenters note these are orthogonal.
• Even if a minority, such people are seen as high leverage when supported.

Management, Incentives, and Structure

• Many see big-company bureaucracy, misaligned metrics, and aversion to bad news as the real blockers, not individual apathy.
• Untapped pragmatists often hit walls: decisions and priorities are set elsewhere; “glue work” and cleanup are undervalued.
• Suggested levers: trust, autonomy, clear recognition (including pay), and managers with enough technical grasp to see real impact.