When is a good time to change teams?

Sorry you're struggling with the tough decision. But here's the thing- from what it sounds like, your manager and your team want you to stay, and hence in theory would want you to get promoted. (This is true for most talented E4s)

So if you can come up with a very, very clear plan and expectations with your manager for the next year, I would stay because it'll be a lot easier to execute as an E5 with a team/stack you're familiar with.

You can also use this conversation as a litmus test for if you should stay. If your manager is unwilling to discuss such a plan with you, I would definitely consider leaving. But even then, only join a team whose manager is able to give you a clear growth plan themselves. That way, you can have confidence that you'll hit that promo wherever you end up.

Sorry to hear about your struggle with up-or-out: I've been there and it was stressful. I assume you're still getting MA and not at EE yet?

I think the E5's response pretty much nailed it. Switching teams is painful, and given that E5 is more of a tech lead role, having existing relationships and domain knowledge is extremely helpful. If you switch now, the clock will be even shorter as you'll need 3-6 months to really ramp up into a new team and then you'll have to make the trek to E4 EE and then E5 promo. This is near impossible unless your team is more or less perfect (i.e. abundant scope, incredible manager that can give you a ton of attention, E5 mentors).

If there aren't any red flags with your team (e.g. teammates aren't helpful, toxic management, slow and lackluster code review), I think you should really hunker down and try to make your existing team work. Here's some existing Taro resources to help with that:

• [Masterclass] How To Navigate Your Performance Review In Tech - Really push your manager to craft a clear growth plan for you, split by the 4 Meta SWE PSC axes.
• [Case Study] - Solving A Multi-Million $$ Instagram Bug - Fixing this SEV 1 was a big part of my E5 promo packet, and this session talks a lot about behaviors you can take on to show that E5 scope.
• "How does one effectively handle pressure especially when the stakes are high?" - It's really easy to get overwhelmed and drown as an E4. I know it's much easier said than done, but it's crucial that you manage the pressure and focus on landing big projects.
• How To Write Better Code Faster As A Software Engineer - Even if you're pushing for E5 promo, you need to maintain that Engineering Excellence contribution. In my E5 promo half, I landed 185 diffs. Generally if you're crossing 175+ diffs per half, that's an EE rating (assuming the code quality is very good). Become a code machine on no-meetings Wednesdays!

Best of luck! If you share feedback you've gotten around the gaps you have for E5 promo (i.e. what has your manager told you?), I'm happy to give more specific advice.