It doesn't help that this is not a standard position across the industry. Show me 5 different staff and principal engs and I'll show you 5 different sets of expectations and responsibilities. It's better now than a few years ago at least.
There was a thread on HN recently [0], in which many expressed an opinion that "senior developer" role is a "force multiplier" involving semi-managerial and mentoring responsibilities. It amused me, therefore, to read that in the author's case, being a senior developer presumably meant just, quote, "closing tickets and writing code to achieve things", i.e. being an actual developer.
they described themself as a 'senior developer' but said they have 15 years experience. That's more experience than I would expect for someone with the job title of 'Senior Engineer'. Their job title might well be higher level - maybe 'Staff'. All these job titles apply to 'senior' people.
