I don't know where to begin with this. This is just nuts! This might work for some snazzy valley startup with 16 people all working on the same code base, but

I don't know where to begin with this. This is just nuts! This might work for some snazzy valley startup with 16 people all working on the same code base, but this is just completely, shall I say, naive and shortsighted. It smacks of someone who hasn't been involved in anything big, complex or been in the industry for any length of time. Some people don't like to use sports analogies, but I do so I will. An NFL team typically has a head coach, an offensive coordinator, a defensive coordinator, a special teams coach, QB/WR/RB/DB/LB/Oline/Dline coach as well as a strength coach, among some more in certain cases. Then there are the players. Offensive, defensive, special teams. Imagine you are the head coach. Should you spend 30% of your time doing ANYTHING any of the players are doing? Should the OC or DC being doing the drills or what not? Maybe, maybe working out, but probably not like the players. My position is akin to the OC on an NFL team. I'm in charge of teams of teams of people. Developers (in different areas/focuses), QA, infra, release, ops etc etc. This is LOTS of people. So, if I'm "coding" 30% of my time, I'm effectively looking at only one area. Should I be spending 30% (or some % number) of my time doing jobs in those other areas? And do I want my managers in those areas to do those things? Well, probably not. I want them to understand them, yes, have done that job previously, yes. More over, I want someone who can 1. engage the team 2. direct the team 3. hold the team responsible 4. tell me (or others) "no" and intelligently show the way for their area and 5. lead up and down. Coding is literally so far down the list it isn't funny. So, no, a manager shouldn't be coding 30% of their time. If they want to and it doesn't get in the way of their actual job, fine, but that is not their job. Their job is to set or enact direction, lead and protect their team. To go back to the NFL example. If I'm the head coach, I want the OC to know exactly the type of offense I want to run, put in the system in place, coach the coaches on that system and make sure everyone is on the same page. I don't want them running routes with the WR or practicing blocking drills with the linemen.