I'm not saying it's totally Mayer's fault, but there are numerous stories reported in the media in 2015 where high level execs were basically in limbo in late 2014/early 2015 where she was scurrying to come up with the broad product strategy. This caused so much animosity and frustration, leads opted to leave the company for other positions. So your anecdote doesn't surprise me at all. If leads felt disempowered to make decisions or if there is a lack of company vision, how could they distribute work to their teams?

I was in a startup where I basically sat without clear product to work on for a month, and I quit within a three months because it was a complete waste of my time and creative potential.