Orders of magnitude are typically in log 10, 2^2 being 4 is in the same order of magnitude.
The national average wage for the USA is roughly 70k according to a quick Google search, unless you’re suggesting the devs are making $4.9 billion per year I think you’re not using exponents correctly.
> What I get from this whole experience is big tech employees, likely on a wage x^2 their national average
> According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the median wage for workers in the United States in the second quarter of 2022 was about $1,041 per week or $54,132 per year
Which puts your estimate of the average silicon valley wage at $2,930,273,424 per year.
The national average wage for the USA is roughly 70k according to a quick Google search, unless you’re suggesting the devs are making $4.9 billion per year I think you’re not using exponents correctly.