I think it depends on the organization. But I think the distinction made in other comments is a good one. You can't really be a "principal" until you are famili

I think it depends on the organization. But I think the distinction made in other comments is a good one. You can't really be a "principal" until you are familiar with the organization, the products, the people. And in reality, while most every engineer can become a "senior" contributor, only a few senior-level people can have the impact being described here to truly be a "principal".