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One of the key issues with Source 2 (ten years ago): They needed new hires (with fresh perspectives) to push the engine forward. However, the new hires didn't understand how the company actually worked. The bonus incentive warped everything, but nobody told you this.
The old timers, the developers who built Source 1, knew *precisely* how the company worked, how to land a big bonus on envelop day, and how to get people fired. Newcomers would be dropped into this environment & expected to perform. It was a nasty/pointless experience for most.
Anyone who managed to be hired that was too good/skilled/experienced vs. the old timers would be ruthlessly resisted and pushed out to lower the bonus competition. It was almost impossible to survive.
When I started I was placed on Source 2. It was like being thrown into a shark tank with blood smeared all over your body. I only survived because I got latest on Portal 2 (while still on Source 2) and started fixing rendering bugs on it that nobody else would or could fix.
On Source 2 I (and many others) were treated like trash. All the Source 1 projects treated me like gold because I was willing to fix and improve their rendering before their products shipped to real customers.
Source 2, 10 years ago, was a total hellscape. Many programmers I know who worked on it came in sane/happy/healthy and later departed total wrecks (and hating the team).
This occurred a decade ago, so I figure it's fine to talk about it now in public. One takeaway: Huge bonus incentives can result in *extremely* toxic teams.
I think the old timers actually enjoyed psychologically torturing new hires for sport. It was that bad. Totally toxic.
