Wish there was something like Read Something Interesting (http://readsomethinginteresting.com/) but with a search index, where you could search only the blogosphere.
The best way I've found of discovering new blogs is Thinking About Things (https://www.thinking-about-things.com). I was introduced to it recently and it's introduced me to great new blogs. I like it because it sends one article per email, so it's a slow drop that lets me evaluate each independently, instead of being one giant overwhelming list.
One thing I've noticed: US-based commenters are much more negative and cynical than anyone else. I've made posts (under a previous username) when the US folks were asleep and got great, helpful replies, only to get much more negative, less nuanced comments once the US woke up.
I worked for a well-known "flat" company, and it was awful.
There is a point to hierarchy. There is great value to knowing who is more knowledgable and experienced, and who isn't expected to be. And it is nice to have a promotional process to aspire to and push you to become better at your job.
Much better than hiring and firing, or requiring mass layoffs later. IMO US companies need to be hiring much more slowly. I can't find it at the moment but I remember Basecamp put out a post a while back that "we are not hiring", explaining that they prefer to invest in internal talent.