The staff are mostly trying to do their best, but the problem is with the system. There are deep systemic management issues that are beyond repair. When leadership fails, the company fails.
Saylor gets a lot of flack as CEO of the company, but he does deserve credit as a visionary and entrepreneur. His biggest mistake, next to Usher, was empowering Tim Lang as CTO, as the biggest issues are found within the Technology division.
Decision making is not decentralized, and the CTO continues to show why he is not fit to lead. If you have ever taken any leadership classes, you will be astounded to learn the CTO fits NONE of the criteria that defines an effective leader. With all the charisma of a block of wet tofu, he has no ability to unlock the intrinsic motivation of knowledge workers. No one will follow this man into battle, as they have all learned that his commitment to quality and productivity are a scam, because he has no idea what is actually needed. He has never walked in the trenches or even met many of his own direct reports. He sets new strategy each quarter, never realizing that in an Agile environment, culture eats strategy for lunch. And Agile at MSTR is a complete joke! It was rolled out to staff without any training, company buy-in, or vetting of tools. Even the most basic principles, such as develop on cadence and release on demand are ignored.
Leaders that are true developers of people are not valued and are quickly and barbarically terminated, only to be replaced by narrow and self-interested "yes" men. Knowing that your CTO has an enormous impact on your day-to-day quality of life at work, such as what projects you work on, recognition you receive, professional development, and bonus payout, the entire Technology department is hosed. For example, your quarterly bonus will not be based on performance, but rather the CTO's algorithm of the month. Supervisor input is completely ignored.
The staffing breakdown at MSTR looks like this: 50% are actively searching for new jobs; 40% are held hostage by their H-1B status; 5% are complacent, and 5% are narcissistic senior managers that can't see past their own ego. That is why the churn is 10-15% per quarter, and you will never work on a stable team.
Be sure to read the latest Gartner report on BI, and play close attention to the cautions listed. MSTR is dying a slow death, losing out to innovative, nimble companies such as Tableau. In 5 years, MSTR will be the next Britches Great Outdoor, Hechingers, or Woodward and Lothrops--all defunct Metro-area business that were once relevant.
I could honestly go on forever in this section--withheld bonuses, public reprimands, blatant nepotism, and a thousand other negatives that make MSTR the laughing stock of the Metro area. Just ask the technology professional sitting next to you; they probably have an MSTR horror story of their own to tell. Go ahead, I will wait.
See, I told you ;)
