Um, they are paid in terms of their productivity. However, it's not how productive they are as a programmer, but how their work translates into business value.

Um, they are paid in terms of their productivity. However, it's not how productive they are as a programmer, but how their work translates into business value. While measuring programmer productivity is not trivial, measuring the value of the average programmer on the revenue generated is much easier. For this reason, an average programmer at Facebook will be earning a lot more money than a great programmer at a small regional bank.