Of course, the SWEs making that much (over 200k) are not representative of the broader field. That's the point.

Pay hits a ceiling, and that ceiling is moving lower regardless of experience. That has nothing to do with AI, but what the market will bear. Hiring counts of humans must increase no matter what. Moving some of the spend to AI reduces the risk of hiring less qualified employees they might have rejected a decade ago.

Wages at the top end are stagnating to subsidize this. That's undeniable.