Every single person has different opinions about how technical a non-IC should be (manager, director, CTO, VPE, etc). There's really nothing to argue here - it'

Every single person has different opinions about how technical a non-IC should be (manager, director, CTO, VPE, etc). There's really nothing to argue here - it's not one way or the other. It all depends on the maturity level and size of the company and also an individual's personal interests. Moreover, in our industry where job roles/responsibilities are not uniform or standard, it's not surprising to come up with your own versions of each role. It's no surprise why a Principal Engineer from one company may or may not stand a chance to make a lateral move to another. These kinds of articles come up every day and I strongly feel that they are an utter waste of time. Stop generalizing. Talk about what the CTO is expected to do at "your company" only.