The meta engineer hit $4.3 million a year and then asked to downgrade: The 'thrill' wore off

For many technology professionals, achieving the highest level of engineering is considered the ultimate career milestone. However, due to finally getting there, Philip Su began to doubt whether climbing further was worth it. Business Insider reported.

Su, who reached the prestigious “distinguished engineer” or IC9 level on Meta and OpenAI, said on “The Peterman Pod” podcast that the promotion gradually became less rewarding as his career progressed.

“The excitement of the promotion itself wasn’t what it was when I was younger,” Su told the show’s host Ryan Peterman. “When I was younger, because I was looking for those grades, those measurable metrics, I felt great every time I got promoted.

Why did Su ask for the demotion

By level seven, Su said promotion comes with a different set of considerations.

“It was no longer a bed of roses for me, the idea of a promotion, because I realized that every promotion also brought much higher expectations,” Su said. “An expectation that I wasn’t sure I would perform well anymore.

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Su, who is now the CEO and founder of Superphonic, an AI podcast player for iOS and iPadOS, eventually asked Meta to move it from IC9 to IC7.

He described the experience of working at a higher level as grueling and said he sometimes felt as if the “Eye of Sauron” was constantly scrutinizing his performance.

“The higher level you are, the more you feel that intensity all the time,” Su said, adding that companies have a right to question whether highly paid employees are bringing enough value.

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What Does an IC9 Engineer Make?

According to Levels.fyi, a compensation estimation platform, an IC9 engineer at Meta can earn about $4.3 million a year, including about $404,500 in base salary, $3.8 million in stock grants and a bonus of at least $110,000.

In comparison, Levels.fyi estimates that an IC7 Meta engineer could earn around $1.63 million per year in total compensation.

Su’s decision to step down was not without difficulty. He said it was difficult to watch colleagues who were once beneath him eventually move on.

Still, he began to see value in a role that allowed him to do work he enjoyed without constantly pushing himself to the limit.

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What happens after achieving a career goal?

Su also offered a broader consideration for people tracking major career milestones.

“Now pretend you just made it. What do you do next?” Su said. “If you have a good answer to that, then you’re fine.

His experience comes amid broader questions about traditional career progression. A Randstad survey from the end of 2024 found that 42% of American workers would turn down a promotion if offered. Business Insider also previously reported on an Apple engineer who experienced burnout after moving into a management role.

For Su, it wasn’t necessarily that reaching the highest level was undesirable, but that it might not be everyone’s goal.

“You know what?” Su said. “Like maybe this is my last level after all.