PMs and UXers are the Tom Sayers of the software world, whitewashing aunt Polly's fence and making the other kids do the work and pay for the privilege.

Google Web Toolkit was a thing at some point in time. ;y current company still maintains some apps which are written in it.

I see, didn't think of the case of somebody with visa requirements. I don't really know how to compare US salaries to my German salary, since taxes and social security and cost of living are different, but for 162k Euro I'd probably also would rather not resignate, but do "Dienst nach Vorschrift" (= doing exactly what your asked for, but not showing extra initiative)

Wow. Since I presume that you didn't stay there: how curt was your letter of resignation?

The crucial point to me, which I could not read out of your first post, nor will I implicitly assume it as a given, is that there still is a feedback loop from product development to the staff/principal level.

I've been burned by a code base that was created by a principal engineer, who tossed it over for maintenance and moved on to greener pastures (still in the company though). It is more to blame on the organization, than on the engineer, but still such an experience leaves a slightly bitter taste.

So, you don't actually do real work and have to live with the technologies that are chosen on your recommendation? Sound like a sweet deal. The senior engineers that have to actually make software that is sold and clean up the mess will hate your guts though.

Assuming that your company has a profitable business, and you are working on the part brings in the revenue that pays the bills, you'll keep that as long as your company is interested in keeping that business. Your CTO is burning money (and fast!), maybe they've picked that habit up in a zero-interest environment, but well interest rates aren't zero anymore, so I'd be more worried if I were part of the secret internal startup.

Why is that?

Programmers are humans and that's the way humans behave. You'll find plenty of ego everywhere, you just selected yourself into our profession and probably don't meet too many people on a different professional path.