Ask HN: Why are non-technical managers paid more than engineers?

Re:Ask HN: Why are non-technical managers paid more than eng... by bjourne on Sunday August 04, 2019 @06:21PM (#20609596)

Have you heard about the law of supply and demand? Because it is bullshit. Salaries are not set based upon some fictional law of economics. Instead, look to sociology and biology to explain managerial salaries. Developers may be harder to recruit than managers but occupy a lower rung on the totem pole than them. Hence cannot be paid more than managers. Because pay is status and leaders have more status than followers. The more people you lead the more status and money.

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Re:Ask HN: Why are non-technical managers paid more than eng... by JSavageReal on Tuesday August 06, 2019 @12:11AM (#20622054)

This is the best explanation. As much as managers pretend like lead/senior engineers are on the same rung of the hierarchy, they're not. Engineers are seen as "resources", a cost center, an input that produces an output, a more differentiated assembly line worker (engineers have higher status at tech companies obviously, but it's still the same dynamic).

Managers report to the executives / upper management, and have all the relationships, political capital, and power.

Is it fair? That's a separate question, but not a question the company cares about. Remember a company isn't a democracy, it's a dictatorship/oligarchy, probably led by someone non-technical who's goal is to maximize business profits, not please engineers.

As an engineer I wish it was different.

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Re:Ask HN: Why are non-technical managers paid more than eng... by eb0la on Tuesday August 06, 2019 @05:37AM (#20623683)

I agree that Pay is status; but I believe with a bigger pay comes bigger responsability.

Landing on a role with bigger responsability must be properly compensated or you won't be able to fill the position.

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Re:Ask HN: Why are non-technical managers paid more than eng... by paulriddle on Friday August 09, 2019 @03:30AM (#20652046)

Correct, but I'd like to point out that responsibility does not imply consequences. If the higher-ups mess up they can blame it on those below them. Usually it is done in an indirect way by setting expectations. For a lot of people, if they are the ones setting expectations they mentally take themselves out of the equation, assuming they are good. They might be wrong.

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Re:Ask HN: Why are non-technical managers paid more than eng... by UK-Al05 on Monday August 05, 2019 @12:32PM (#20615481)

Supply and demand and your explanation are both true. They are competing.

Managers want it be structured like your explanation, what they actually get is structured by supply and demand. Because they setting below the market rate they then struggle get anyone.

If a company comes along and does not follow hierarchical setting salaries, then they will get all the better programmers.

Overtime if the software is critical to their business, then they will die out.

It just takes time.

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Re:Ask HN: Why are non-technical managers paid more than eng... by buboard on Sunday August 04, 2019 @07:13PM (#20609832)

This makes sense but will be downvoted.

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Re:Ask HN: Why are non-technical managers paid more than eng... by Foober223 on Sunday August 04, 2019 @09:29PM (#20610307)

I upvoted it. It's a good insight.

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