I didn't realize how messed up internal systems were during the interviews or what group dynamics actually were in real life. I judged too much from the hiring manager and the best of my colleagues whom I still think highly of. I thought I could make a difference and they paid really well (not FAANG).

What changed was a combination of realizing how little I could actually do, magnified by a whole new tier of VPs hired from Microsoft and Google who brought their loathsome ways with them. One never expects the Spanish Inquisition...