Hard lesson learned, this is not a place you can bring a "vision". Literally, speaking the word "vision" is a dangerous act. Hey, there is almighty "platform". Quench your passion, shut up, and ride with the "platform". To be honest, I have to admit this is bluntantly the good part of working at SNC, comparing to all other controversies.
Now all you techies can do is to focus on execution. Oh yeah, as a non-customer facing team in Santa Clara, you never really get staffed because "disappointment" of bay area talents. (link below)
You techies squeeze every scarce bit of resource; build up grand system / product from scratch up; on-call day and night; prove knowhow and deliver a highly motivated team. After all these, your retiree boss called you out "not working hard enough".
Have to mention: the management style is very controversial. Careless placement of reporting chain is only a tip of iceberg. It came out clear that many managers were so imcompetent and scared that all they care is survive, and to some, survival means to manage know-how out. People without delivering promises survives well as VP's gang; people talking hours of non-actionable survives, because the job is "not innovation" but "business value"; people totally not fit for high-tech company survives --- who with no idea of OKR judges team's execution on "sense".
On the contrary, good leaders who knows how and inspires, either were put aside, or been kicked out, or can only stand it as part-time. I am afraid SNC never built up a culture of inspiration: There is only "judgmental", or judgmental disguised as "metric-driven".
[Reference: search for xconomy, fred luddy]
