Pretty superficial compared to the in-depth interviews I've had with many other employees in Silicon Valley and elsewhere in high tech. I was astonished that they seemed nonplussed at the prospect of somebody weaving back and forth between (very senior) individual contributor and (technical) manager. That cluelessness is something I expect from big, old, ossified companies, but this "weaving" pattern is perfectly normal and expected in young, dynamic, up-and-coming hi-tech outfits. Hey, I've been doing this for decades!

How can you possibly do technical management if you're a very strong senior engineer?