You're explicitly choosing the basis of comparison on the grounds that it will deliver the answer you prefer to hear. The piece compares professions. Professions are a way you make money to live. They should compare programmers who make $150K/yr to musicians who make $150K/yr.
Ironically, the fact that you think it is obvious that you would only compare the 0.1% of "knowledge workers" to musicians and athletes means that you find the conclusions obvious. Of course knowledge workers, at the same salary as athletes and musicians, are far worse in quality.
Not that it's an injustice. Athletes and musicians are paid to be passively watched and listened to; it's a demand thing. Who's going to pay to watch or listen to someone average? The average programmer (and the average garbageman, who also doesn't put a lot of time into the fundamentals) gets stuff done.
So are we comparing million dollar software architects to the average or below average athlete in that case?
I just don't think salary is a good metric or comparison here. Concert musician as a paid professions as fallen for decades. Tech is a multi trillion dollar industry, and even outside of tech there's a need for every business to establish basic IT and security.
It's a mix of demand, supply of cash, supply or workers, general respect, and a few other factors. Everyone needs school teachers but how do we treat them (outside of the whole "essential worker" schtick the one time they really should have stayed home)? Child care, on the other hand, pretty much lacks the funds to compensate any better given all the regulations that need to be upheld.
Ironically, the fact that you think it is obvious that you would only compare the 0.1% of "knowledge workers" to musicians and athletes means that you find the conclusions obvious. Of course knowledge workers, at the same salary as athletes and musicians, are far worse in quality.
Not that it's an injustice. Athletes and musicians are paid to be passively watched and listened to; it's a demand thing. Who's going to pay to watch or listen to someone average? The average programmer (and the average garbageman, who also doesn't put a lot of time into the fundamentals) gets stuff done.