I think the word "good" was doing a lot of work in the phrase "a good software engineer".
So then the questions is "does a good software engineer make a lot more than a decent software engineer". From anecdotes and such[1], as well as personal experience, evidence seems to point to "yes", although most of the salary surveys and such point to a relatively narrow gap (i.e. less than 2x between 10th percentile and 90th) between minimum and maximum compensation for devs.
So then the questions is "does a good software engineer make a lot more than a decent software engineer". From anecdotes and such[1], as well as personal experience, evidence seems to point to "yes", although most of the salary surveys and such point to a relatively narrow gap (i.e. less than 2x between 10th percentile and 90th) between minimum and maximum compensation for devs.
[1] https://danluu.com/bimodal-compensation/