I've become more and more convinced that $1M+ per year is not realistic as an engineer. There are compensation spreadsheets floating around and I've been privy

I've become more and more convinced that $1M+ per year is not realistic as an engineer. There are compensation spreadsheets floating around and I've been privy to Facebook's and Google's. Assuming the numbers there are accurate (and anecdotally they are), even the "top 5%" engineers getting discretionary equity and bonus don't make more than $600k. Meanwhile, executives easily make twice that in yearly cash bonuses. I've grown a disdain towards said execs for being paid incommensurate with their actual value generated. Perhaps that's just my naïveté, and indeed they are that valuable. But I don't think so. In short, to command astronomical salaries you need a pyramid of people working beneath you, so that you can garner part of their productivity for yourself. Charisma will help you get there.