[solatic]

> I think it works quite well when they focus on architechture, mentoring, product planning, estimation, cross team communication, code review, devops and small feature/config requests. On slow days they can fix those nasty bugs that have been in the backlog for a while, or on tight deadlines they can help in the parts lagging behind in the important project. But yes I can see how this could be considered "bad" IC, but all that gruntwork is work that doesn't need to distract and slow down your team now.

What you're describing is a good manager, period. You can't slot an MBA with no engineering experience into a TL position, to serve as some kind of bureaucrat. When the team's stuck in the weeds, a good leader rolls up their sleeves and helps. It just goes to show what a sorry state the industry is in, that we no longer think of that as intrinsically a leadership skill.