Eh, you're a senior SWE at L5 in a lot of companies, but L6 is definitely where you start to be seen as closer to management in the chain than your typical IC.

Eh, you're a senior SWE at L5 in a lot of companies, but L6 is definitely where you start to be seen as closer to management in the chain than your typical IC. You start being involved in calibration for example. L5 is mostly about reaching greater depths with your skills as an L4, L6 is more about gaining breadth that isn't guaranteed just by being an L5 for a while