A former distinguished Meta engineer says promotions eventually stopped feeling like wins, so he sought a demotion

Philip Su was promoted to distinguished engineer at Meta before seeking a demotion to improve work-life balance and reduce pressure to perform.

Klaus Vedfelt/Getty Images Philip Su was promoted to distinguished engineer at Meta before seeking a demotion.

Su said higher levels brought pressure that left him exhausted and under scrutiny.

Su said that accepting a career ceiling can lead to more enjoyable work.

A top engineer for Big Tech asked for a demotion at the peak of his career.

Philip Su, who reached the prestigious " distinguished engineer " or IC9 level at Meta and OpenAI, said on "The Peterman Pod" podcast that promotions lost some of their shine as his career progressed.

"The thrill of the promotion itself was no longer the same as when I was younger," Su told show host Ryan Peterman.

"When I was younger, because I sought after those grades, those measurable metrics, I very much felt great every time I got promoted." By level seven, however, advancement no longer felt like an unqualified win.

"It wasn't all roses to me anymore, the idea of getting promoted, because I realized that each promotion also came with much higher expectations," Su said.

"Expectations that I was no longer positive that I was going to deliver well." Su, now the CEO and founder of Superphonic, an AI-powered iOS and iPadOS podcast player, ultimately sought a demotion at Meta from IC9 to IC7.

He said that operating at a higher level left him exhausted and like the "Eye of Sauron" was constantly scrutinizing his performance.

"The higher level you are, the more that you feel that intensity all the time," Su said, adding that companies are entitled to question whether highly paid employees are delivering enough value.

At Meta, an IC9, also known as level E9, is one grade above a Principal Engineer and one promotion away from being a Meta Fellow.

According to Levels.fyi, a compensation estimate platform, an IC9 engineer at Meta can earn roughly $4.3 million annually, including about $404,500 in base salary, $3.8 million in stock grants, and a bonus of at least $110,000.