[BuckRogers]

It won’t happen. People that do this are generally mocked as useful fools, it’s a “Thanks, for setting your new expectations! Now enjoy living up to them for zero additional pay. When you get tired of it we’ll be sure to punish you.”

The OP should just offer to management to be a co-tech lead for additional pay, citing the belief that he can help and otherwise do nothing nefarious or antisocial and look elsewhere for work. He’s already either viewed favorably or not by upper management, which will determine this. It’s largely not performance based, he has to be competent, but liked. People won’t agree with my idea because it’s not “the ideal world and way it’s supposed to be“, but it’s based off my very hard earned experience.

Two things are true in this industry, no one wants to pay and it’s not a meritocracy. That’s all smoke and mirrors, it’s pure capitalism.