From his essay ... Amazon seems like reasonably well run large company by most standards.
The author maybe doesn't seem to grasp that large teams doing big things don't seem hugely efficient.
The bit about the Canada/US border trip was rich, they're trying to get stuff done, it's not like their flagrantly in violation of anything.
"My manager told me it is trust that I yet to earn — people don’t trust my judgement and I need to build good relationships with decision makers. I agreed. But that what is called “politics”. "
It's often in addition to politics, but it's not just politics.
Trust, relationships, competency - those are real things.
Surely some people don't want to work at large organizations, but the author I believe maybe needs some experience to grasp that this is what it means.
I would say to the author: welcome to how it is.
I think the author should have stuck it out for a couple of more years, they might have learned a lot before doing something much more aspirational.