Yes I have seen Principal Engineers with <6 years and >20 years of experience. And no it is not a coincidence. Those who stay put tend to get promoted earlier b

Yes I have seen Principal Engineers with <6 years and >20 years of experience. And no it is not a coincidence. Those who stay put tend to get promoted earlier because of tribal knowledge they have. They may be lacking in core tech skills but they are still more valuable for management than people hired from outside due to their insider knowledge esp. if the work is not that technically challenging (crud apps/some business logic)