I think the author's experience is more true in smaller companies or startups. In the big tech companies especially, high-band senior or principal engineers are

I think the author's experience is more true in smaller companies or startups. In the big tech companies especially, high-band senior or principal engineers are expected to lead through influence (without being anyone's boss) and have to make these exact same tradeoffs effectively to succeed. You can coast as a senior in many places if you want to just deliver by yourself, but you won't get further. Also note that the author points out that he chose to make many of these tradeoffs not from being a manager, but when he got older and chose to refocus on his family. This is a tradeoff many people have to make whether they are a people manager or not.