I will say though, that such astronomical salaries are only really the norm in Silicon Valley. And with that salary, you have to deal with the entire lifestyle that goes along with it.
Money isn’t everything, which many programmers recognise.
I don't think salaries that high are the norm even in Silicon Valley, unless you're counting "someone was hired with X shares in the company vesting over 4 years as part of their comp package" when those shares were worth $120,000 over 4 years when they were hired but are now worth $800,000. Which, while nice, is more a case of "stocks go up sometimes" than "companies are intentionally paying enormous salaries for people without exceptional skills."
Though I'm not actually in SV, and the last time I went on an interview circuit up there was 2015, so it's possible salaries have gone crazy since then.
I will say though, that such astronomical salaries are only really the norm in Silicon Valley. And with that salary, you have to deal with the entire lifestyle that goes along with it.
Money isn’t everything, which many programmers recognise.