My latest armchair theory is that bullshit jobs might be like “junk” DNA, which researchers learned isn’t actually junk and influences various cellular and genetic behavior, just not through direct protein instruction.

Or as engineers know: sometimes legacy code doesn’t initially appear to do anything, but then messing with it has unexpected effects.

For sure.

Especially as organizations grow in size.

A small startup usually has little-to-no "junk" or "fat" to trim.

But as orgs grow, and since we have imperfect knowledge and communication systems, more an more "junk" or "connectivity" roles emerge.

Microsoft: 223,000 employees

Alphabet / Google: 198,933

Apple: 150,000

Oracle: 141,000

Meta / Facebook: 75,472

I tried to stay way from companies with retail or warehouse workers like Amazon and Walmart (though Apple likely has a lot of retail).

I don't see HOW companies get to that size without some "junk DNA" that keeps it operating.

Maybe in the next few years we'll have AI-powered knowledge bases and communication lanes that smooths things out, but - how do we 'quantify' what "Steve, the guy who has been there for 22 years and works as the company phonebook and knows who to refer you for the thing you need"