I know many talented but not exceptional Engineers that made their way to middle management and above at a FAANG company and are now happy to work a couple of h

I know many talented but not exceptional Engineers that made their way to middle management and above at a FAANG company and are now happy to work a couple of hours a day while collecting close to million dollar salaries. I also know equally talented people that worked their tails off for decades in startups that did not work and that now have trouble supporting their families. So, it depends, but for sure if you optimize for work-life balance software development in the US is likely the best gig in the world.