"People are paid according to the value they produce" grossly simplifies compensation. If we must generalize compensation: people are paid the lowest amount the

"People are paid according to the value they produce" grossly simplifies compensation. If we must generalize compensation: people are paid the lowest amount they will accept. Supply and demand and value are central to the equation, but large variability in compensation among near identical profiles in the US and Canadian software sectors is an indicator that the individual isn't good at knowing their value.