diff --git a/wgengine/userspace.go b/wgengine/userspace.go
index 23edf30b3..222df1bc8 100644
--- a/wgengine/userspace.go
+++ b/wgengine/userspace.go
@@ -47,7 +47,6 @@ import (
 	"tailscale.com/types/logger"
 	"tailscale.com/types/netmap"
 	"tailscale.com/types/views"
-	"tailscale.com/util/backoff"
 	"tailscale.com/util/checkchange"
 	"tailscale.com/util/clientmetric"
 	"tailscale.com/util/eventbus"
@@ -749,29 +748,17 @@ func hasOverlap(aips, rips views.Slice[netip.Prefix]) bool {
 }
 
 // ResetAndStop resets the engine to a clean state (like calling Reconfig
-// with all pointers to zero values) and waits for it to be fully stopped,
-// with no live peers or DERPs.
+// with all pointers to zero values) and returns the resulting status.
 //
 // Unlike Reconfig, it does not return ErrNoChanges.
 //
-// If the engine stops, returns the status. NB that this status will not be sent
-// to the registered status callback, it is on the caller to ensure this status
-// is handled appropriately.
+// The returned status will not be sent to the registered status callback;
+// it is on the caller to ensure this status is handled appropriately.
 func (e *userspaceEngine) ResetAndStop() (*Status, error) {
 	if err := e.Reconfig(&wgcfg.Config{}, &router.Config{}, &dns.Config{}); err != nil && !errors.Is(err, ErrNoChanges) {
 		return nil, err
 	}
-	bo := backoff.NewBackoff("UserspaceEngineResetAndStop", e.logf, 1*time.Second)
-	for {
-		st, err := e.getStatus()
-		if err != nil {
-			return nil, err
-		}
-		if len(st.Peers) == 0 && st.DERPs == 0 {
-			return st, nil
-		}
-		bo.BackOff(context.Background(), fmt.Errorf("waiting for engine to stop: peers=%d derps=%d", len(st.Peers), st.DERPs))
-	}
+	return e.getStatus()
 }
 
 func (e *userspaceEngine) PatchDiscoKey(pub key.NodePublic, disco key.DiscoPublic) {