It is an unexamined assumption in the MBA driven, Jack Welch inspired corporate world that people are interchangeable "resources". The very word "professional" conveys that meaning - one good professional can do the job of another.
That assumption is false and not just for engineers or tech talent. Great teachers, great nurses, great welders, great farm workers - none of them are easy to replace. We recently promoted a passionate young farm worker and I told him "Your passion for farming is what is going to make this farm great."
We work hard to create, nurture and retain talent because ultimately all progress comes from it.
By assuming that technical talent is fungible and interchangeable, a previously-successful engineering company will be run into the ground...
...along with a few of its own products and everyone on board.
It's astonishing how certain types of managers will prefer less-talented-but-more-controlable scientists and engineers over more brilliant and creative ones who may be more difficult to control, somewhat unpredictable, and sometimes annoying.
Here is the thing: scientific and technical breakthroughs are unpredictable by management, and progress often comes from folks with unconventional personalities and backgrounds.
As I was told by my management at Bell Labs: "You don't have to be crazy to work here, but it helps" 😄