There are also plenty of L2s on eng job ladders outside of SWE. The levels are kinda sorta roughly equivalent by pay across different roles, hence levels 1 and

There are also plenty of L2s on eng job ladders outside of SWE. The levels are kinda sorta roughly equivalent by pay across different roles, hence levels 1 and 2 don't exist in SWE because their pay is below the lowest any SWE would be making.