[bateman_]

I also work for Intel and I'd attribute this to the two very distinct tracks that are laid out, either the technical track to Principal Engineer, Fellow, etc. and the people track from manager, VP, etc. A LOT of people end up stopping after 3-4 promotions because it takes a lot to reach the final stages of this track but it provides a really robust pathway for people who want to have technical/people influence on dozens or hundreds of engineers but not necessarily thousands.