> but the reality is that it becomes incredibly difficult to move the needle to a sufficient degree as a high level IC.
I think this is entirely dependent on industry and company size/stage.
Anything from a well funded startup to a high-growth pre-IPO "unicorn" will likely gain much more from a very senior engineer than from a "leadership" hire.
An existing fortune 500? Yeah you're probably right.
I'm more talking about personal growth, not hiring someone fresh. As an IC, it becomes hard for people to move the needle further and further *unless* they start taking on more interpersonal responsibilities.
Even for hiring in the circumstances you describe, I don't think you're wrong per se. But there aren't many situations or people where I'd prefer someone who just wants to sit in a corner and code vs someone who can do all the other stuff at a high level too.
I think this is entirely dependent on industry and company size/stage.
Anything from a well funded startup to a high-growth pre-IPO "unicorn" will likely gain much more from a very senior engineer than from a "leadership" hire.
An existing fortune 500? Yeah you're probably right.