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To anyone dreading this for real, there are places where you can get ahead as an IC and it's considered a parallel career track to management. 0 direct reports. Maybe some mentoring, if you want, but that's it.
You just have to find those places
Is IC individual contractor in context?
Contributor. The ceiling is lower though. You get to (senior) principle and that's the end of code monkey positions usually.
Typically, but employers are getting wise. They don't want to lose their best technical talent just because they're on the spectrum or whatever. Or arguably worse: see them sputter out in a hybrid management/tech role that is more lucrative, but much less impactful than if they'd just stayed tech.
Staff, and architect are two other roles that are sometimes like that. Yet other places will just keep going up levels / pay bands, like eng I, II; senior eng I, II, III, IV, ..., VII, etc