Author here. I like statement. I think the biggest thing here is "not meeting this mark isn't a value statement"

I had a lote of doubt about my own ability because I never got promoted. Was I not doing enough, am I not making impact. But you should never measure yourself by this. I left for more opportunities and more impact. I actually only knew my own value after rounds of external interviewing

> I had a lote of doubt about my own ability because I never got promoted.

This just makes me feel that the system being described is exploitative. It's dependent upon people not knowing their value.

I'm glad you got out and were able to better define the value you can provide.

Having said that, please don't work on "prioritize user retention metrics" ever again.