[pyrrhotech]

I think most would agree $250k is a comfortable lifestyle, but if your neighbor is making $1M/year in the same profession just because he works at a different company, a bit of bitterness and or desire for more is hard to combat. Your neighbor can retire at 45 with $10M+, why should you be content with the low end of upper middle class and working until 60 for a more average retirement?

[gedy]

I don't disagree, just to your point about early retirement, be aware of what you really want vs just chasing comp. If it's comp, then it also begs the question of why not FAANG then.

[qwerpy]

This is exactly it. Chasing high salaries for many of us isn't about buying more expensive things. It's about obtaining freedom in your life as early as possible. Add in a family, and the only way to do it in your mid 40s when your body is still capable of doing anything, is to make numbers like what you mentioned.

A common retort is "stop working for FAANGs, then maybe you won't be in such a rush to get out". I completely disagree. I don't care who I'm working for, even if it's myself, it's the fact that my time is controlled by some outside force that I'm trying to escape.