Daily 30-minute meetings sounds to me like the antithesis of good management. If you feel like you need 30 minutes of synchronous time per day from your team of engineers, you are not a good manager.
If that is the case, then they sound like a great manager.
Of the 8 hours a day of my work, it’s the least likely to be a waste of time. It’s a great way for our distributed team to stay connected, express interest in work streams, and have a laugh.
Work can be so much more than just optimizing productivity to the nth degree.
It's almost as if there's not a one-size-fits-all. Unlike your comment.