> His underlings know that, and they know they can do stupid shit and work against each other without accountability.

This is what really sunk Eastman Kodak. The popular wisdom about them missing digital isn’t really true. Heck they owned many of the key patents. But everyone was too busy focusing on growing their little fiefdom for the company to use its assets and market position effectively.

I recall one year the CEO announced he was reducing headcount by some number and the next year it had actually gone up.