[b7r6]

The situation that you describe is regrettable common in my experience, but by no means ubiquitous, and I'm optimistic actually reaching the end of its lifespan.

I've been out of big-name marquee tech for several years now, but as recently as late last decade it was in fact possible to achieve meaningful seniority as an engineering manager on the back of serious engagement with the subject matter. I at one time managed a team of roughly ~35 serious engineers and several managers in a critical path and was considered senior enough to be called an L7 because I read at least and usually commented on one or more diffs a day, and worked on and usually landed a diff or two a week.

I don't know where the meme started that managing technical work was orthogonal to understanding technical work, but CTOs like Carmack disagree (FWIW little old me does as well). In almost any other field from fabrication in a shop full of machines to a law firm, the top person is the most expert person, and I think it's a weird path-dependent aberration that software got off that proven paved path.

YMMV but this stuff is IMHO getting so complicated that I think managers will be trending more rather than less technical for the foreseeable future.