I think often what you'll see on the IC side is above the Senior level (Principal, Distinguished, Fellow, etc.) there are fewer available roles. I've been in o

I think often what you'll see on the IC side is above the Senior level (Principal, Distinguished, Fellow, etc.) there are fewer available roles. I've been in organizations where the highest level you could go is Distinguished Engineer and each VP would have one Distinguished Engineer and several Directors. Using your example breakdown, there are 8 possible director positions under a VP while there is 1 possible DE position under the VP. Additionally, it can be easier to transition to an equivalent or higher role from one company to another on the management side. Most companies are open to hiring a VP from outside but often the highest levels of IC roles are only filled by those with significant experience within the company.