The vast majority of software engineers work for boring enterprises or small businesses that supply software/services for boring enterprises. These software eng

The vast majority of software engineers work for boring enterprises or small businesses that supply software/services for boring enterprises. These software engineers are creating real value in exchange for their salaries, often only a few degrees removed from the buying and selling of real physical things. If you are working for a advertisement-backed, consumer-facing company wondering why you have such a lofty salary, part of the reason is simply because those companies need to compete with these more boring businesses to attract and retain engineers. I know that doesn't reply to all of your comment, but it's a good thing to consider that I often forget myself.