Those points aren't necessarily in disagreement. I've known a lot of people who thought they were ready for the next level or two steps up but weren't. So they

Those points aren't necessarily in disagreement. I've known a lot of people who thought they were ready for the next level or two steps up but weren't. So they went from an A+ IC somewhere solid to a C- "director" at a startup as soon as they got the chance. (disclosure: former PM, current Head of Product, have almost certainly made this class of mistake)