Verizon is just like any other large corporation, in the way that it is simply a heartless machine. It has no feelings, no conscience, no compassion, no remorse. There is not one single person to blame for all of its failures, an no particular individual to take full credit for its success. It has no other agenda than to feed its bottom line, period.
Together we all built this machine with our blood, sweat, tears, sleep deprivation, personal sacrifices, missed soccer games, etc. We have helped automate the machine and it is now running out of control. There isn't much left to do except get the hell out of the way or get run over by it.
At some point the machine will break down and there will be nobody left who knows how to fix it. By then most of the top level executives making poor decisions will have jumped out the window with their golden parachute. Some will find another machine to throw their wrench in the works (f--- up). It is just the nature of big business.
One of the best life lessons I've ever learned - "It's not what you take with you when you go, but what you leave behind that's most important."
In this case it is just the opposite. I don't much care what I leave behind for this dying corporation after we're all gone. What I will take with me is a lifetime of quality friendships, professional experience, technical expertise, and lots of memories, both good and bad. Neither will outweigh the other, but they are all mine to keep.
Sad to see this chapter of our lives come to an end but in my opinion it was time well spent.