<p>The tenure track system in China’s “Double First-Class” universities was instituted with a triad of objectives: (a) fortifying universities through talent cultivation, (b) invigorating the enthusiasm and creativity of junior faculty, and (c) nurturing and safeguarding young talents to ensure the ascendance of exceptional individuals. Yet, these aspirations have not been fully actualized. Although existing literature often attributes this shortfall to the incomplete transplantation of the system, the endogenous institutional factors at play and their examination through the perspective of means–ends decoupling remain unclear. Building on the literature on means–ends decoupling and institutional logics, this study employed a qualitative research method to explore the manifestations of means–ends decoupling and the mechanisms that underpin its occurrence and persistence within the tenure track system. Our findings indicate that this decoupling largely results from logic conflicts, where market, management, and state logics operate independently to marginalize academic logic, engendering practices (e.g., academic tournaments) that misalign intended goals with actual outcomes. Moreover, the compatibilities among market, management, and state logics sustain the decoupled tenure track practices, thereby perpetuating the phenomenon of means–ends decoupling.</p>