Could he have lost that in the intervening time?
I understand everything my head of engineering tells me and don't need it ELI5'd. However being told it, and being asked to do it are two different things. I would be a very useful or productive coder if I went back in to the trenches.
Would or would not?
After being in management for years I sometimes feel like I would not be, at least not without 6-12 months of doing it every day.