His "vague advice" is very useful. It's a reminder that tech isn't the only thing that employees are selling. And that selling includes an interpersonal compo

His "vague advice" is very useful. It's a reminder that tech isn't the only thing that employees are selling. And that selling includes an interpersonal component. It can be ignored, but the results will be far from optimal. The best thing for an engineer who underperforms in conversation and negotiation is to realize that there is room to improve and to get moving on doing whatever it takes to have a package to offer that includes technical ability and the social ability to negotiate appropriately. I'm not even going to touch upon the fact that the skills that a person can use to negotiate more effectively will almost certainly make them a better and more valuable employee (even if they are just a developer/engineer). Tech workers are not islands unto themselves. The faster they learn this, the better.