I wonder though. At a company like Google, you may well be paid more as a L5 than most CTOs make at most companies. There may be no way to "advance" your career

I wonder though. At a company like Google, you may well be paid more as a L5 than most CTOs make at most companies. There may be no way to "advance" your career by leaving if you're in this position. This may sound depressing but it seems like Google is essentially the peak of prestige and compensation and there is nowhere to go but down if you want to move on.