Over the past year, we’ve seen how uncontrolled growth—chasing flashy numbers and sticking to old-school habits—can quietly undermine any company from the inside. I don’t have every statistic from every story I’ve heard or lived through (some observations are necessarily high-level), but the recent fallout speaks volumes. From a remote beach in Greece, it stings to see small teams get lost in this chaos. After swapping notes with engineering friends and ex-colleagues across Europe, the pattern is clear: many U.S.-based companies whose engineering “heartbeat” lives here end up in the same trap. Here’s my take—framed for Greece, but I’m sure it applies much more broadly.

Scrappy Beginnings

When a new Greek software house for a U.S. company launches, it often starts with a tight-knit team (and a few more in the U.S.). No formal hiring process, no HR, no marketing—just a scrappy crew wearing multiple hats, meeting deadlines, and having a blast. It’s heaven for junior-mid engineers and above (which is why I personally stick to startups and scale-ups: more to do, more to learn). Agile is just a buzzword—teams build whatever the biggest client needs and adapt on the fly. Eventually, things flatten out, energy fades, and people move on. New faces arrive, old ones leave; it’s the startup cycle.

The Promise of “Scale”

Even after you’ve left, the cycle can pull you back to your old team (I explored this in “Decoding the Dilemma: Should You Go Back to Your Old Employer?”). At some point, the opportunity to return might present itself, along with promises of big changes: proper Agile teams, dedicated HR support, and a full marketing department. Suddenly, that ten-person outfit balloons to forty-five. Early days look bright—until it isn’t.

The surge of U.S.-driven growth hits fast: the company upgrades to a flashy new office, and operational costs skyrocket almost instantly. A hiring spree follows, but only half the new hires are engineers. The rest? Coordinators, managers, and support roles that feel more about keeping up appearances than shipping products. Sales and marketing are crucial, but without enough builders, ideas stall.

Warning Signs of Burnout

In the next few months, warning signs appear:

• Burned-out departures: Engineers start to quit, overwhelmed by impossible deadlines and endless meetings.
• Pay and toxicity: More leaves soon after— frustrated by the US-style career treadmill of raises that don’t translate locally, the other worn down by a toxic tone from above.

Manager Layers and Lost Momentum

Then it gets stranger. A pile of stories of new managers bringing in their former teams. Ex–big-tech hires arrive, also as managers. Meanwhile, when real engineering help is needed, another developer is shown the door. Layer upon layer of middle management turns every day into a visibility exercise. What once felt like owned, impactful work becomes a tightrope under constant scrutiny. Creative freedom vanishes; the tech stack and product get riddled with technical debt, and motivation dries up. I’ve heard stories of engineers who wanted to tackle real problems but ended up playing politics instead.

Bureaucracy at Every Turn

The red tape can be overwhelming—once bureaucracy takes hold, even the simplest tasks become a struggle. Requests start requiring detailed proposals, often shared with multiple layers of leadership. Salary discussions involve formal emails directed to stakeholders with limited visibility into your day-to-day contributions. Annual reviews turn into box-checking exercises that offer zero real feedback. Each of these hurdles kills initiative, and top talent starts looking elsewhere.

The Big Question

After months of morale slipping away, engineers begin asking themselves:

“Am I still learning or earning here?”

There’s an old saying: “At every job you should either learn or earn. Either is fine. Both is best. But if it’s neither, quit.”

When neither happens, it’s time to look for greener pastures. Start with a simple checklist for your next role:

1. Recognizable Brand: It doesn’t have to be “big tech,” but it should command respect in its field (think Volvo, PwC).

2. Tech Credibility: Even if it’s not on billboards, it should earn engineers’ respect (GitLab, Grafana Labs, Vercel).

3. Competitive Compensation: A salary and benefits package that matches market rates and your own worth.

4. Healthy Culture: Clear, efficient processes for training, feedback, and decision-making—where initiative isn’t strangled by bureaucracy.

No checklist is perfect, but spotting these red flags early can save months of frustration. Treat every hiring process as a two-way street: they’re interviewing you, and you’re interviewing them. If a role checks at least two boxes, it goes on your “apply” list—if not, keep looking.

Growth Without Losing Soul

Before resorting to quitting a company you once loved—just because it started scaling in the wrong ways—there’s one last card to play: feedback. Share it, escalate it, and make sure it reaches the highest levels. Sometimes, all it takes is for someone to speak up before things drift too far.

To any founders, managers, or leadership reading: rapid growth can bring resources and stability—but without a supportive culture, it becomes a race to the bottom line. When process outweighs people, innovation stalls and burnout spreads. The real challenge isn’t headcount or valuation; it’s keeping the builder spirit alive. Empower small teams, keep decisions close to the code, and prioritize the humans behind the product. That’s how you grow without losing what made you great in the first place.

To all the builders out there: Keep your edge, protect your craft, and grow without losing what made you one.