I assume "staff engineer" parallels the concept of military staff [1], the people who serve directly under and advise the commanding officer.
So in theory a staff engineer has directly delegated authority/trust under the VP or whatever of a large engineering area.
And that reminds me of a quote from Rommel:
Men are basically smart or dumb and lazy or ambitious. The dumb and
ambitious ones are dangerous and I get rid of them. The dumb and lazy
ones I give mundane duties. The smart and ambitious ones I put on my
staff. The smart and lazy ones I make my commanders.
Yes, very much this, and the article misses this critical job responsibility that distinguishes the sr engineer from the staff engineer levels.
One of the responsibilities of a staff+ engineer is to be a high-judgement technical advisor to the leaders of large teams comprised of smaller teams. This role calls for high-level strategic thinking, talent development, as well as working with counterparts on peer teams to align the technical capabilities and strategies with the larger organization's objectives.
So in theory a staff engineer has directly delegated authority/trust under the VP or whatever of a large engineering area.
And that reminds me of a quote from Rommel:
Men are basically smart or dumb and lazy or ambitious. The dumb and ambitious ones are dangerous and I get rid of them. The dumb and lazy ones I give mundane duties. The smart and ambitious ones I put on my staff. The smart and lazy ones I make my commanders.
[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Staff_(military)