This is a decent explanation in general but I can explain exactly how it happens as its happening to me. As you read below its honestly not that great of a position to be in. You get a job for a decent salary – 80k plus. You kill it for that first year, by this I mean you dont miss things you dont make wrong calculated predictions – 25% of this is luck. Your coworker who does the same thing fucks something up a few times. Because you havent fucked this same thing up (again, 25% luck), you are deemed the competent go to one. They get let go. Then, and this is like 70% luck, they bring in someone for a specialized part of the job. They dont have enough work, so some of yours gets carved out, but you still have the knowledge and competency so youre good. But theres another mouth to feed, and some of your works been taken – so you are paid well but raises are just covering cost of living. At this point your job duties are less, you are better at the job and know what questions to ask if you dont know something. Its relatively easy tho as the poster above mentions, but can be mentally draining. So you are now chilling with a decent salary but growth is limited and you prob want to move onto the next thing anyways. This is how Ive seen and had it happen in person