I recently read a LeadDev article: roughly one in three engineering managers is considering returning to the IC track.
Honestly, that number did not surprise me at all.
The toughest moment the EM role has faced in a decade
The engineering manager role may be going through its most awkward decade yet.
Organizations keep flattening. EMs are asked to manage more people and carry bigger scope. But recruiting, performance reviews, 1:1s, project planning, and cross-team coordination none of that work has gone away.
The real contradiction is this: we can all see AI rapidly reshaping software development, and we know this may be the most important technology shift in years. Yet it is remarkably hard to find uninterrupted time to build, experiment, and learn by doing in a real environment.
Going back to IC is not a step backward
This is not an abstract industry observation for me.
After moving from EM back to IC, I rediscovered the joy of solving problems with my own hands, learning new tools quickly, and actually turning an idea into something real. At the same time, I became even more aware that what management brings — developing people, and leverage at the organizational level — is something the IC role cannot fully replace.
So returning to IC is not necessarily an escape from management, and it does not mean your career is moving backward.
Early in the AI transition, it can be a strategic long-term investment: spend a year or two sharpening your technical judgment and accumulating first-hand AI experience. Whether you then continue toward Staff+ or return to management with a stronger technical foundation, you keep more options open.
Among people, organizations, technology, and products — which kind of problem do you most want to solve yourself right now?
Originally published in Chinese on Facebook (2026-09-11). This English version is a translated and lightly edited edition.
