I love how asking people why they are leaving is not on the list. Instead it's gathering metrics and data. If you treat people like numbers, that's sort of the explaination right there. Anything to avoid actually building a working relationship.
Sorry but I'm probably not going to tell you all the reasons I'm leaving or the issues I see with the company. I have no intention of coming back but I won't burn the bridge on my way out or sour any chance of a good referral down the line. Also companies are notoriously bad at hearing anything negative (no matter how true) about themselves. I'm leaving, so I have no interest in getting into a fight/argument or being gaslit on my way out.
On an individual level, I've had managers that I genuinely do trust, and with them I probably would give honest feedback, but sadly none of those managers have ever actually conducted my official "exit interview".
Meaning that person most likely has been suggesting fixes/complaining (to you 1-1) about 'X' which you have control or 'Y' which you do not.
If it's 'X' (you can control), then it's your fault for not stepping up and fixing it. Expecting someone to summarize everything they've been saying to you for a year (just read your 1-1 notes) is not cool.
If it's Y, then there's nothing you can do or say, to convince the person to stay.
It's mostly correct IMHO, that people leave companies because of managers and their inability to listen or write notes in their 1-1.
I think it was along the lines of “you now have 2 engineers and 8 people managing those engineers. It seems you have a retention problem and are management heavy. You also have some great engineers you promoted to management who likely have something to do with the bad retention. Maybe they should start coding again.”
I was fired on the spot. Gave me a month to leetcode grind, so I can’t complain.