Jason GormanIf the only opportunities for advancement in your organisation beyond "senior developer" require a move into mgmt or team leadership, that will work against the stability of your teams. Seriously consider hands-on dev career paths with equivalent status and rewards.
I see no real reason why a developer can't reach CTO-level status (and pay) within an organisation, while continuing to work where they offer the most value: mentoring and setting an example for teams.
Harefeet@jasongorman Pretty sure Fred Brooks talked about this in relation to IBMs organisation structure (esp. 'fellowship') in the Mythical Man Month
@harefeet For sure, we've learned little in the last 50 years.