Definitely I did read the article but I’ll address your point about priority shifts.
I think handling priority shifts is a part of the job. If you can’t get people to talk to each other about priorities and help illuminate that they have to compromise on what is important in order to get the best outcome, then you’re failing as an engineer.
However I do work at a company where I have an active hand in planning the roadmap as a senior engineer. I often tell the senior leadership what my thoughts are about priorities and I feel empowered to say “no,” or “let’s do that later” to asks. I understand this isn’t how everywhere works. Maybe the author and I have very different work experiences.
To me, if someone says “we are shifting priorities.” I think of it as a chance to improve what work we are doing. I feel that the author would see it as an opportunity to waste their time more.
I don’t believe that engineers are pawns in a political game. I think it’s a strange thing to suspect and I have some doubts about your mental well being. Looking through your other comments, it seems to be a common trend of yours to speak of people as pawns. Perhaps you feel like you are a pawn at work? Or maybe you see the world as a political game where you are a pawn?
I don’t think that’s a wise perspective - even in chess a single pawn often can win the game. Even with even pawns, the better coordinated pawns can win. Just some food for thought.