Have been in that boat on several occasions. Eventually escaped to do a PhD and research. Intellectually very challenging and eventually satisfying ... but the money was dreadful. So I'm back in the biz end of IT, boring but well paid.
I think we need to look at how any given company makes revenue. In most cases, it isn't innovation, just same ol' day by day. The only viable escape seems to be to run away with a startup (circus). They can be real fun, but many do flame out and crash. Hard to pick the winners with a technical viewpoint. Again, it comes back to business fundamentals and investor vicissitudes.
I think we need to look at how any given company makes revenue. In most cases, it isn't innovation, just same ol' day by day. The only viable escape seems to be to run away with a startup (circus). They can be real fun, but many do flame out and crash. Hard to pick the winners with a technical viewpoint. Again, it comes back to business fundamentals and investor vicissitudes.