I just always assumed middle management purpose is to insulate upper management from any bad consequences of the actual business.

Like there is a dispersion process of responsibility of the actual business as you go up the chain so if you have enough layers you can basically free roll as an upper manager with taking credit for the good outcomes while the bad was just shitty middle management.

It is an investment by upper manager to free roll.

You should try reading de Tocqueville. It is literally the same country as it was in 1835.

A man builds a home to grow old in and sells it before the roof is on is the American Dream.

My parents cared but they just weren't educated enough themselves to offer any good advice.

I would say I basically received no guidance my entire childhood on anything important. Not because my parents were delinquents but they simply had nothing to offer.

If was in middle school, there is no way my parents would be able to police the use of chatGPT. They wouldn't think it is good or bad, they would just not understand what is going on.

I have thought about that many times. It is unimaginable to have received good advice growing up and not have to figure out everything for myself, fixing all these mistakes. What an advantage.