Exactly, it's pretty well documented at this point that labor put in is not an indicator of payment earned. Especially, when that labor is tethered to a heavily stratified economy with big biz at the top.

I do feel that this changes when people act outside platforms and companies. For example, a surfboard maker, putting in a ton of labor should see some return on the time invested, but it won't necessarily be in money earned.

Which brings up another point entirely. These pieces that used money earned as a metric for success are dated af. Thanks for the advice, dad.