Management (in San Francisco at least) has a systemic inability to recognize and correct bad decisions. It seems like they spend most of their time in meetings making excuses so they don't have to take a perceived political hit for making a bad choice, instead of owning it and doing something better.
This influence from the top has made its way into individual hiring decisions, where hiring managers make excuses for candidates and look down on anyone who gives negative interview feedback. This has created an engineering culture where people either blindly do what they're told and code exactly to spec (even if it's the wrong thing for customers and the company), or get frozen out, badmouthed, and belittled for speaking their minds and raising valid concerns.
Add to this a total lack of technical mentorship or career growth opportunities, and I guess what I'm saying is that it's definitely not an engineering-driven culture.
