Sounds shitty - when there are personal relationships/nepotism/etc going on and it is impacting what gets done, then that is a major red flag for so many reasons. This time it sounds like someone gets to do what they want with database in production, but there can be so much more going on that is simply unseen, but could be much more odious (running the gamut from covering-up/ignoring harassment, right through to fraud or other criminality).
Regardless, I'd probably argue that a company with only 2400 employees let alone engineers is not what most people would consider "BigCo". In my mind, BigCo are thousands/tens-of-thousands of engineers - think FAANG, major Investment Banks, major technology companies (e.g. the IBMs, Microsofts, or Samsungs of the world). The sort of places that people (rightly or wrongly) aspire to work at, or at least have some common mind-share amongst the average person on the street.
Regardless, I'd probably argue that a company with only 2400 employees let alone engineers is not what most people would consider "BigCo". In my mind, BigCo are thousands/tens-of-thousands of engineers - think FAANG, major Investment Banks, major technology companies (e.g. the IBMs, Microsofts, or Samsungs of the world). The sort of places that people (rightly or wrongly) aspire to work at, or at least have some common mind-share amongst the average person on the street.