I don't think that's true. Both paths he's describing are relatively lucrative. There are plenty of native born developers getting solid pay to do the less pres

I don't think that's true. Both paths he's describing are relatively lucrative. There are plenty of native born developers getting solid pay to do the less prestigious work of implementing specs. It's just moving up the "value chain" is a lot more lucrative. The advice here applies to ambitious people who want to get paid even more.