The rule of 7 indicates that you probably should have 1 manager for every 7 people or so (14%), which is not wildly out of line with 17%. That said, what I'm s

The rule of 7 indicates that you probably should have 1 manager for every 7 people or so (14%), which is not wildly out of line with 17%. That said, what I'm seeing in Silicon Valley runs counter to both the article and what you're saying: most bigger companies do have a well-established senior IC ladder, although it's often harder to climb than the manager one. And instead of the traditional 7 +/- 2, line managers are being expected to manage 10, 15, 20 people, which rarely works well.