My cynical hot-take is that big companies don't need great engineers, they need engineers who are good enough to complete the tickets their given and move on to

My cynical hot-take is that big companies don't need great engineers, they need engineers who are good enough to complete the tickets their given and move on to the next one. The great engineers I've known came up with innovative ideas that were briefly admired and then quickly squashed. A few good architects can make a difference, but the army of SWEs are just there to keep the roads rolling.