[updated]
IC = worker with management tendencies but more technical knowledge.
[kept]
Ok then. Helpful. Corporatespeak is often just jargon creation to exclude others for whatever reason.
[edit expansion] Worker who is not manager but has manager skills sufficient to orchestrate as needed to deliver a result in required manner. Knowledge level exceeds expectation normally associated with a classic "pure" manager.
so... a not-just-a-worker who is manager level in terms of ability to orchestrate but is knowledgeable in excess of typical expectations for that of a classical "pure" manager.
Ok I probably mangled this but IC just paid for itself in my mind via increased understanding, nuance and useful brevity.
It doesn't imply "manager level". Anyone can be an IC at any level. It might imply "not on a manager track" but strictly just means "not a manager right now". Since it is the opposite of "manager" it might have all kinds of connotations due to being where that distinction is relevant, but the denotation is still just a technical role with zero reports.
>...but strictly just means "not a manager right now".
There's also the verisimilitude that it can also mean an inferred ceiling. For example, Principal <whatever area> Engineer role[s] at Microsoft is [are] typically the highest that you can go - if you stick to the IC (read: non-managerial) track[s].
[updated] IC = worker with management tendencies but more technical knowledge.
[kept] Ok then. Helpful. Corporatespeak is often just jargon creation to exclude others for whatever reason.
[edit expansion] Worker who is not manager but has manager skills sufficient to orchestrate as needed to deliver a result in required manner. Knowledge level exceeds expectation normally associated with a classic "pure" manager.