Using this automobile production analogy, I would say that a full-stack tech engineer is analogous to an autoengineer who understands all levels of the producti

Using this automobile production analogy, I would say that a full-stack tech engineer is analogous to an autoengineer who understands all levels of the production, with some direct experience in the types of relevant manufacture processes of all components of the automobile, as opposed to only understanding based on the blackboard theoretical description of auto production. They know the design principles of engines and of electric systems, and materials science, and the relevant history of the industry leading up to the state of the art. They could join the division-of-labor sub-team for any arbitrary process of production, because they understand any arbitrary process at the blackboard level and have some general experience in the types of any arbitrary manufacture process -- though they are never actually permanently required to stick to just one sub-unit of operation. And thank $deity someone does understand the whole picture, otherwise no one would, and you're just waiting for some new problem to bring down the whole cargo cult operation. This is in contrast to someone doing one aspect of the division of labor, who knows his division, but doesn't understand the full stack of automobile development. "I just make sheet metal into body parts. Engines and electrical systems are magic to me." Not all code production houses need full-stack expertise, because they actually can operate in their niche without it thanks to our system of finance and contracts. Most don't, in fact. But big operations (a la a major automobile company) had just better be sure they have engineers who understand automobile production from design to showroom (reverting to the analogy).