I ignore the spotlight as a staff engineer

Engineer Autonomy vs Top‑Down Direction

• Some see “we figure out what has most impact and build it” as ideal: decisions at the lowest level, proposals refined by leadership feedback, multiple options explored and data-driven choices.
• Others warn that when engineers self-direct without tight customer/management steering, they often build “tech for tech’s sake” and misalign with product/vision.
• Consensus: autonomy works only if engineers deeply understand users, company strategy, and are willing to pivot when leadership pushes back.

Infra / DevEx vs Product Work

• Many infra/devtools engineers say staying off the main product roadmap avoids whiplash from shifting executive priorities and lets them pursue long-term technical excellence.
• Stewardship over years enables systemic improvements that short rotations can’t see. Internal “customers” (other engineers) become the main validation channel.
• However, infra work is often invisible: success means no fires, so leaders underestimate its importance and may cut it, or only notice it when it fails.

Spotlight, Credit, and Promotion Politics

• Big companies often struggle to evaluate senior ICs, drifting into “impact on the tech community” and visibility metrics. This feels like a popularity contest to many.
• Quiet, reliable work can be overshadowed by “heroic” firefighting, creating perverse incentives. Several posters describe intentionally or jokingly manufacturing crises or “optimizations.”
• Strong advice: don’t chase mass spotlight, but do “own your narrative” with documentation, metrics, design docs, and targeted visibility to key stakeholders; otherwise others may capture the credit.
• There’s disagreement on staff roles: some see staff+ as highly valuable technical stewards; one commenter sees them as overpaid non-performers and argues they should be removed.

Organizational Culture and Management

• Multiple anecdotes of once-productive teams degraded by rigid process, overbearing PM/VP involvement, or bringing in culture-mismatched hires. Reversing a bad culture often requires drastic change.
• Managers who can’t judge technical quality tend to reward participation, visibility, and “selling yourself,” forcing ICs to choose between solid work and self-marketing.

Risk, Prevention, and Invisible Work

• Preventative work (avoiding outages, paying down debt early) is hard to justify because the counterfactual never happens; “heroes” who fix late problems get the praise instead.
• Some argue leadership must explicitly value prevention; others claim this is basic competence that many orgs still fail to develop.

Career Strategies and Environment Dependence

• Many agree the author’s “ignore the exec spotlight, focus on long-term infra” path works best at large, profitable, engineering-driven companies; elsewhere it can mean being first on the layoff list.
• Staying in low‑glamour roles for years can hurt external mobility; interviewers often expect stories of cross-functional leadership and visible business impact.
• There’s debate over luck vs hard work in reaching elite roles; most concede both matter, but differ on how much privilege shapes what’s “possible.”

Philosophical Takes on “The Game”

• Some reject corporate politics entirely, prioritizing life outside work and accepting slower progression.
• Others argue you must understand the “game” (perception, incentives, narrative) even if you play it minimally; ignoring it leads to resentment when less capable but more visible peers advance.
• Several note this dynamic is universal—sports, academia, startups—not just big tech; impact still matters, but it’s filtered through human, social judgment.