I think you're absolutely correct and I think it goes one step higher level too.
As a staff engineer, it's very important to make sure people know you are not the code. The code is just a liability - as you said, it's legacy the second it hits prod.
I've found its best to position yourself not as on the side of the "code" but as a EQUAL PARTNER to leadership/product/whoever has power. It's often just a framing problem, too! You can do nearly the exact same things as if you were the BOFH. But just positioning yourself so that leaders see you as an ally in shipping product and impact, vs someone they have to bully to get approvals from on "just building the damn product." Makes it night and day.
>its best to position yourself not as on the side of the "code" but as a EQUAL PARTNER to leadership/product/whoever has power.
That sounds so utopian to me that it's practically ridiculous. Never in my 40+ years working in tech has any higher-up treated me or thought of me as anywhere near equal. I try to treat the people on my team that I manage as close to equal as I can, but the higher ups would really have zero compunction about "letting me go" in favor of the new hot whoever that someone introduced them to recently, or whatever. They very rarely listen to reason about any issue and it's rare that I'd even get to talk to them.
It's been like this at every startup and company I've ever worked for.
As a staff engineer, it's very important to make sure people know you are not the code. The code is just a liability - as you said, it's legacy the second it hits prod.
I've found its best to position yourself not as on the side of the "code" but as a EQUAL PARTNER to leadership/product/whoever has power. It's often just a framing problem, too! You can do nearly the exact same things as if you were the BOFH. But just positioning yourself so that leaders see you as an ally in shipping product and impact, vs someone they have to bully to get approvals from on "just building the damn product." Makes it night and day.