[dbshapco]

DE has meaning outside of Microsoft. I recognize it, and am not in Microsoft's orbit.

Generally it's one step above Senior Principal Engineer and considered an executive position.

That said, tech titles have not normalized as much as executive titles. The general progression I've witnessed is (with managerial level set):

- Engineer - Senior Engineer (Team Leader) - Principal Engineer (Manager) - Senior Principal Engineer (Senior Manager) - Distinguished Engineer (Director) - C[TI]O (C-Level)

Oddly there's no level set to [AS]VP positions. Engineering tolerates less hierarchy.

Also DE (and all tech ladder positions) are a recognition of sphere of influence over technical acumen as follows:

- Engineer (own work) - Senior Engineer (team) - Principal Engineer (department) - Senior Principal Engineer (corporation) - Distinguished Engineer (industry sector) - C[TI]O (corporation and broader industry)

YMMV