Our best designers are leaving and it’s our fault.
That’s what a design manager told me last week.
Note: If you’re new here, I talk to designers of all levels every single day and have done so for a decade. Often designers share complex situations and sometimes allow me to write about them.
Here’s how this conversation went (edited for clarity and confidentiality):
Design Manager: “Our best designers are being forced into management tracks. Not because they want to lead but because it’s the only way to make more money.”
Me: “I know this isn’t the right approach but I have to ask — isn’t that normal in most places? Growth usually means progression to management.”
Design Manager: “That’s the problem. These are exceptional craftspeople. They solve impossible problems. But now they’re trapped in management meetings instead of doing what they’re best at.”
Me: “Again, obvious question, but in your case, why can’t they just stay as ICs?”
Design Manager: “And make 40% less than managers at the same level? Not with Bay Area cost of living. So they’re forced to eventually take the management track, get the title bump, hate it, then leave.”
Me: “How many people are we talking about?”
Design Manager: “Three of my best right now. The ones who make impossible projects work. Who understand all the complexity. Who know why things are built the way they are.”
Me: “Have you talked to leadership?”
Design Manager: “They think everything’s fine because we have an IC track on paper. But the comp difference is huge. A Senior IC makes way less than a manager at the same level. There’s no real choice here.”
Me: “What happens when they leave?”
Design Manager: “We lose great designers. Not only that, we lose years of product knowledge. Why certain decisions were made. How everything fits together. You can’t replace that quickly.”
Me: “What’s the fix?”
Design Manager: “Pay your best designers what they’re worth. Let them keep making things.”
Me: “Why doesn’t that happen?”
Design Manager: “It’s easier to promote someone to management than explain why a designer should make as much as a manager. Even though that designer might create more value than ten managers combined. And I’m saying this as a manager…”
Two days after this conversation, one of their senior designers quit.
They’re going independent. Back to making products.
I wonder how many other companies are having this exact same conversation right now.
Hi, I’m Mindaugas.
I’ve spent the past decade working with designers from companies like Netflix, Google, Amazon, Intercom, and OpenAI. At On Deck, I built the Design Fellowship, and at InVision, I created design communities on a global scale. Before this, I was a design recruiter which enabled me to help 100’s of designers land their dream jobs.
Through thousands of conversations, I’ve helped designers navigate career transitions, land roles they didn’t think possible, get promotions, and understand what’s happening in the market.
Now, I’m building Coho, a private network for designers to have the kinds of conversations that change careers. Small, focused groups meet every two weeks to tackle challenges, exchange insights, and grow together.
Free career support
- In February, I’m hosting two FREE lightning lessons with Maven:
- Why Designers Get Stuck: Patterns from 1,000 Conversations
- Intentional Career Mapping: Future-Proof Your Design Path
Both are short, focused sessions packed with insights I’ve gathered from working with designers like you.
2. Free career navigation & layoff office hours
I also host free office hours for designers navigating layoffs or career transitions. Small groups of max 5 designers, honest conversations, every Thursday at 9am PST. Book a spot here.
