Narcissists, non-violent sociopaths, and control freaks end up in managerial positions (often more likely than the general population). The pointy haired boss in Dilbert is a popular representation for a reason. We've all been subject to degrading and/or stupid management trends (see also: https://ibb.co/Kx46rqkg ), and while in the tech industry we had a golden age were the engineer was king, that's been chipped away even before AI became mainstream. Also, hyperbole is a thing. :-)