Anecdotally, when I worked at Samsung Austin Semiconductor (2017-2019), the top PhD engineers were paid lavishly. I don't know exact numbers, but I was told well north of $200K, plus hefty bonuses. Since mid-level engineers without a PhD could comfortably be in the mid-100s, that sounds about right to me. My guess is they wouldn't offer the $200K+ range to start, though.
I definitely don't blame anyone for not wanting to go there. Hell, that's where I pivoted into tech - I was a Shift Supervisor, realized I had no appetite for management and didn't want to be a technician, so I got a M.S. in SWE from UT Austin and then jumped ship. Instant salary boost, even though I had to start over on the career rung. Software does in fact pay massively well.
I definitely don't blame anyone for not wanting to go there. Hell, that's where I pivoted into tech - I was a Shift Supervisor, realized I had no appetite for management and didn't want to be a technician, so I got a M.S. in SWE from UT Austin and then jumped ship. Instant salary boost, even though I had to start over on the career rung. Software does in fact pay massively well.