-Pay. Individual contributors are paid alarmingly low rates that are not at all competitive in the tech sphere, even in Portland.
-Career stagnation. If you're an individual contributor, it can be extremely difficult to carve out a path of advancement when the company is only interested in getting the most labor for the lowest cost.
-Pettiness and politics. Most people are incredibly supportive and wonderful to work with, but a few bad apples spoil the bunch with toxic positivity, poor boundaries, and flat-out mean behavior.