[copperroof]

Agreed. In my experience to do well in large companies you need 2 properties and nothing else.

1. Constantly complaining. This is like a high-visible fake proxy for "high quality".

2. Highly opinionated. In order to get your 3rd rate projects through you need to fight tooth and nail for whatever arbitrary set of things you are pushing.

Engineering prowess and the properties from the article are nowhere on the list. The vast majority of principal+ engineers and essentially all upper management I have worked with have these two traits. When you run into an exception it's a blast of fresh air and a wonder they got past senior engineering roles. As a disclaimer my sample size is 2 companies.