True the manager does have influence in that way. They can definitely increase the chances. I read the parent comment as saying it was as flexible as Senior and

True the manager does have influence in that way. They can definitely increase the chances. I read the parent comment as saying it was as flexible as Senior and below promos which is why I incorrectly assumed you hadn't worked in FAANG culture. I think the promo comittees do a significantly better job than relying on managers alone, but they definitely have bias. Not perfect, or even good but still way better because there's less incentive to game the system. I agree that Staff-plus isn't Jedi-like and there is a trope about that. I assumed your criticism there was about the StaffEng book which doesn't promote that trope, instead it gives a practical guide on what it usually takes to get that promo.