I don't think the "force multiplier" aspect is what's in doubt here. Its that most productivity metrics for senior developers over-emphasize shipping software t

I don't think the "force multiplier" aspect is what's in doubt here. Its that most productivity metrics for senior developers over-emphasize shipping software they wrote (i.e kloc written) not so much how Susan, Alice and Joe were unblocked and shipped their commitments. You're both acting as a people-manager unblocking and growing your team's skills but only getting comped for aspects of an IC which you start to get less and less time for. I routinely see HR departments pathetically fail in recognizing this and end up losing seasoned engineers cause let's face it, if you're worth your salt you can switch companies easily and just do the IC work and get properly comped for it.