There are a lot of product-minded engineers out there (user-facing outcomes focused). There are also a lot of engineers who enjoy the engineering decisions and

There are a lot of product-minded engineers out there (user-facing outcomes focused). There are also a lot of engineers who enjoy the engineering decisions and challenges at particular stages of a company's growth. Both (and many others) are good and healthy mindsets. You don't have to be a kernel hacker to be a good or motivated engineer.