[ZephyrBlu]

Because it's not his job. He should elevate someone else into that IC role instead of holding it for himself. The way he describes it, there is no one else in the company who can do the IC work he is doing, which is long-term bad.

Coding IC work takes a lot of focus and context that someone who is operating at the company-level should not really be in sole possession of.

To me, the whole point of these positions is to take the hit on random bullshit, planning, people management, etc and give your ICs space to do the kind of work he is taking on.

That doesn't mean you have no technical context or involvement in the development process, but it does mean you should probably be at least one step removed from it.