FANG engineers are typically in the 99th percentile of tech excellence. Amazon engineers are not well paid when compared to professionals of the same league. Amazon SDE1s in Austin, Texas have a salary of around $120k/year and new hires have a total compensation package of around $160k/year. In Europe salary ranges for the same role go from €80k/year in northern countries and €40k/year in southern European countries. Check Glassdoor.
We're discussing positions and professionals which compete in a global stage.
Amazon is far from well paid for this sort of position. It's one of the key factors why Amazon SDEs tend to bail out after 2 or 3 years. They are smart enough to not bother with high stress, low-paying jobs .
https://www.levels.fyi/companies/amazon/salaries/software-en...
https://www.levels.fyi/companies/apple/salaries/software-eng...
https://www.levels.fyi/companies/google/salaries/software-en...
https://www.levels.fyi/companies/facebook/salaries/software-...
https://www.levels.fyi/companies/microsoft/salaries/software...
Amazon is middle of the pack for big tech in total compensation. We don't need to speculate or speak in hyperbole. They certainly are not a "low-paying" job. The OP didn't stay in a low-paying job for 10 years and certainly didn't gain financial independence selling their Amazon stock because it was a low-paying job.
They still offer pretty much the highest total comp and the best job prospects for 80th to 90th percentile graduates out of anywhere that I know of.
All amazonians would jump to Google if they could. The reverse is quite rare.
Amazon engineer salaries are in the 90th+ percentile in the tech industry -- let's not bother comparing them to the typical American's income. They have almost unlimited mobility in their industry: They can find a job elsewhere anytime they want.
I remember you mentioning elsewhere that in 10 years of working at Amazon you're now financially independent. This isn't the outcome you usually see in a sweat shop.
I don't disagree that they have a culture of treating employees as expendable and are a harder place to work for than some other big tech companies but at some point a little perspective on your own privilege is healthy.