Because if FAANG and other related companies keep paying insane (relative to everyone else in a white collar job) salaries — aka above market rate or outlier high salaries — then it’ll be able to command the kinds of demands and stress that paying such a ridiculous salary affords a company.
Basically if you wanna be a highly paid engineer who gets paid high six figures possibly with RSUs/options and/or bonuses and perks then the company will in return get to work you to near death.
Or …
Move to Europe and enjoy a good salary (albeit a fraction of what the US FAANGs pay) and work life balance and nearly 30 days of paid holiday every year. Plus no gun crime and healthcare for everyone. Oh and a public transit system that works. (I am talking about Berlin but this basically holds most places in Western Europe).
Unfortunately, the European economy has been stagnating for the 16 years since the financial crisis and median salaries are FAR below American ones. I would not gamble on the EU economy holding up as demographic pressures and regulation push productivity and GDP into negative territories. I also wouldn't bet on the healthcare systems getting any better from this point on. Europe is in for some rough decades coming up