“Big Corporations Are All Sick — So Why Won’t They Change?”

Those who still speak frankly about both the pros and cons of their company when resigning are, at heart, genuine people — the kind who still carry some affection for the place. After all, anyone with a bit of common sense and observation can see both the strengths and weaknesses of a company. Most just choose to look the other way because it’s not their concern.

A couple of months ago, a viral resignation letter from an Alibaba employee made waves online. But the issues mentioned there weren’t unique to Alibaba — they’re symptoms that appear once any organization grows large enough. It’s like hitting fifty and discovering your blood pressure or blood sugar levels creeping up. Sure, it’s a sign of trouble, but it doesn’t mean you’re on the verge of collapse. Many people live healthily to a hundred, even with these “chronic conditions.”

Human nature and the inherent complexity of large organizations make certain problems inevitable. Some companies manage these issues well — operating smoothly with “blood pressure” at 140. Others let it rise to 180, and that’s when real intervention is needed.

Not long ago, I was chatting with a business owner whose company is worth around a billion yuan. He admitted that corruption exists even at that scale. “When you’re dealing with transactions worth tens of millions,” he said, “do you think it’s possible that no one takes a cut? If a supplier gives just 1% as a kickback — that’s a million on a hundred-million-yuan deal.” Even smaller companies aren’t immune — a colleague might receive a bottle of Moutai from a vendor over a project worth only a few tens of thousands.

And those so-called “model companies” that get praised online? My peers quietly confirm that they, too, have corruption — perhaps less severe, but it’s there.

It’s an ancient dilemma: the emperor can’t handle everything himself, yet doesn’t fully trust his ministers. So he creates an organization to monitor them — the infamous Eastern Depot. But who, then, watches the watchers? The same paradox persists today.

Some say “separation of powers” solves everything. In theory, maybe. But even the United States has people who’ve collected welfare for centuries.

That’s why the world’s cleanest governments tend to be small nations — it’s simply easier to manage fewer people and systems.

And let’s be honest — none of us could govern a giant like Alibaba any better than its executives do now.