I am lead engineer. I get screwed cause I have an engineer in my team that doesnt communicate often and does things on his own. My manager complains to me. How can I justify going forward? I am looking for some guidance.

I feel like not only are we in a K shaped economy, but we also are in a K shaped job market. I see the top 1% of workers (often those with AI experience) get insane offers while the rest are struggling to hear back from recruiters. Does this seem accurate? Or am I overblowing it

I just received a job offer that is a massive step up in title and salary, but the online reviews for the team’s culture are absolutely terrifying. Half the Glassdoor reviews mention high turnover and a toxic leadership style, while the interviewers themselves seemed incredibly stressed out during our calls. The extra $30k a year would change my financial life. Would you take a risk on a known toxic environment?

Is it ok to want to be an IC forever? I am perfectly content staying a mid-level individual contributor forever, and I don't want your promotion. Every time my manager brings up the leadership track during our 1-on-1s, I just feel a wave of exhaustion. I like building things, shutting my laptop at 5 PM, and letting someone else worry about quarterly budgets. Why does corporate culture treat a lack of management ambition like some kind of psychological defect?

💭 If you were let go from your job tomorrow, what's the first thing you'd do?