Usually it means you have to manage people but you have no real input on their career trajectory, and in the worst case, if they need to be fired you do not have the power to do so.

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gdbsjjdn 5 days ago | parent [-]

This was my experience in a TLM role - you have to manage down to your ICs but you have little lateral or upward power. You're basically just conveying whatever your manager decides to do with your team, but with all the additional responsibilities of a staff engineer.

	▲	xenotux 5 days ago \| parent \| next [-]
		In big FAANG-style workplaces, I don't think that middle managers without the TL- prefix have the kind of influence or leverage you're talking about here. It changes at VP level, but ultimately, most of the corporate management hierarchy is just spreadsheet misery.
	▲	itsanaccount 5 days ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		its called the straw boss. as in "and the strawboss said well a-bless my soul, you load 16 tons.."