Senior engineer gave up millions – and exposed the dark side of high-tech

Philip Su, a senior engineer at Meta and OpenAI, gave up a top management rank (IC9) and requested a professional demotion to IC7. The move cost him a salary of about $4.3 million a year in favor of $1.63 million. Su explains that high expectations and burnout led to the decision, reflecting a broader trend of retreat from the promotion race in the American job market.

Philip Su, a senior engineer at Meta and OpenAI, decided to give up the highest management rank (IC9) and requested a professional demotion to IC7. The move cost him a salary of about $4.3 million a year in favor of $1.63 million – a loss of more than $2.6 million annually. Su, who recently appeared on a podcast, explained that as he advanced, the thrill of promotion disappeared and was replaced by heavy pressure. He described working at the highest levels as feeling like 'the eye of Sauron' was constantly examining him. According to him, the high expectations and intensity left him exhausted. Su's step, who has since founded his own company called Superphonic, appears not to be an isolated case but part of a broader trend of retreat from the traditional promotion race. A survey by Randstad from late 2024 found that 42% of Americans would refuse a promotion if offered and prefer to maintain their mental health. Su advises those chasing professional goals to ask themselves what they will do the day after the achievement.