HOW I GOT PROMOTED TO STAFF ENGINEER TWICE

Summary from the TLDR newsletter

It's probably easier to get to staff engineer by getting hired as doing so via promotions requires you to be known and valued by your organization. Companies value engineers who ship, so ship projects that the company cares about and don't spend time on pet projects. Don't worry too much about mentoring and leading, as long as you're leading projects successfully, or if doing so delivers value for the company. Getting to staff manager requires a lot of work from your manager - don't invest time in the promo packet until they're fully on board.