Just a programmer?

If companies were to actually reward people in proportion to the time and skill they brought to the success of a company, then you wouldn't see "Just a programmer," because the top programmers (at least at technology companies, where the product is mostly or entirely software) would be making more than the CEO.

But it's typically the CEO and board who determine salaries, so who ACTUALLY gets rewarded? The people who determine the salaries and their closest friends (the management), of course. Does merit take part in these decisions? Sometimes, but all too often, not.

Since there's a natural desire to understand where you rank relative to others, and that ranking is frequently done based on how much money you make..."just a programmer" is about how low in the money (and influence) spectrum you are when you're programming for someone else.