Closest I have come is managing a lot of recruiting (but still from the engineering side) and I know a few very senior folks who started their own headhunting firms - it's an obvious move given their vast network.

I don't know for sure but I suspect most recruiters make a LOT less than the roles they are recruiting for, since generally the skills to make a good recruiter are easier available than those that make an engineer. If you want to broaden your career while getting more into dealing with humans rather than code, the obvious progressions are engineering management and perhaps product management.