>So for example, as a Junior Engineer you will define the design (architecture) of a feature within a service, while as a Staff Engineer you will oversee the ar

>So for example, as a Junior Engineer you will define the design (architecture) of a feature within a service, while as a Staff Engineer you will oversee the architecture of a system spanning several teams. Sure, but at some point "spanning several teams" means you will not be close to the code anymore. You'll spend most of your time in meetings and it increasingly becomes difficult to stay close to the code. Doing "grunt work" is increasingly a waste of your time and a distraction from doing things that have impact at your level. At that point you end up telling people what to build and having them build it.