[jollybean]

"It's not a competition at all."

It's absolutely a competition. The thresholds for promotion resonate around capabilities designed at certain thresholds. The organization is a pyramid, they are not going to just promote everyone along a tract, even if it's not managerial.

And, very few companies have seriously well developed tracts for technical staff. There are 'bands' within every company surely, but most of the world is not like the FAANGS in this regard.