This is the wrong way of thinking about it. There is almost nobody who is worth even 1k/hour full time in most scenarios. If 20 hours of someones time saves y

This is the wrong way of thinking about it. There is almost nobody who is worth even 1k/hour full time in most scenarios. If 20 hours of someones time saves you 2 million though, it's a no brainer to pay them 20k to do it. Some people absolutely do specialize in this sort of engagement, and do well at it. It's really important to remember that. $N/hour usually doesn't mean $N*2000/year salary. Often hourly rates go up because of the nature of the work means the ratio of billable hours to hours put in isn't great (see, e.g. many independent lawyers). Also worth noting that most people contracting at this level don't in fact charge hourly but that's a different aspect.