There are 2 aspects to this. 1. The importance of having a solid technical contributor in an executive role cannot be overemphasized. 2. If you were not a CEO/C

There are 2 aspects to this. 1. The importance of having a solid technical contributor in an executive role cannot be overemphasized. 2. If you were not a CEO/CTO before it's easy to get anxious about the decisions executive leadership is taking and not having a say in it. I mean it might work out just fine for Mitchell because he was the CEO, so he might still be involved in major decisions or at least his opinion will be actively sought. Or may be you just enjoy doing what has been told to you and that's totally fine too; as long as it's a conscious, well thought decision. But if you've any opinions on how things should go, it's going to be a tough sell in a non-exec IC role. My point being this is a specific case and it'll work out great for Mitchell, but for others think from all angles before making this kind of move. Obviously, if you really hate your exec job or are not very good at it, you're better off moving away from it.