I consider that private information. Why do my friends/neighbours whatnot have to know, that I make more money than they do? It creates all sorts of awkward situations, at least in the culture, that I live in.

How do you know they're not the ones making more money than you?

because I am a very well paid software engineer and they are not..

Yes, but that culture is deeply damaging to your own ability to negotiate better pay. If you don't know how much other people doing the same work you do make, then you don't know when you get lowballed. Public salary information is -- in the aggregate -- better for employees everywhere.

what makes you think there isn't a neighbor making more than you?

Why do people who say this always assume they're the ones making the most, and aren't the lowballed ones?

Most software engineers make considerably more than the median salary, so it's not unreasonable to suppose that you make more than your neighbors (unless you can barely afford your home).

Why do you get to ask why? Why can't people decide for themselves what information they want to have public? Would you want a public website with everybody's health stats, or the report from every GP visit? If not, why not? It's only our bodies, everybody has physical issues sometimes, what's the big deal?

You do get to choose: Don't work at Buffer.