You're probably from a privileged environment such as working in the US (probably in a top location) and probably from a top university or you were there at the right time to join a top company as it grew rapidly.

The first paragraph probably applies to 1-10% of developers worldwide...

The only part of that that applies to my friends is living in the US. Programming pays well just about anywhere for that area even if the absolute numbers are less extreme.

I also don’t mean early retirement. Still, combine minimal schooling, high demand, reasonable pay, and the basic financial literacy of working with complex systems adds up over time.

Yeah, there is no way that the majority of EU-based developers can retire at 45 on their meagre salaries.