The difference is that the employees at tier 1 backbone providers get paid, and if one of them quits, there is an organization responsible (and incentivized) to hire and train replacements.

So what? That doesn't make those people, the software they write, or the actions they take any less important at keeping the internet functioning. The work employees do seem to constantly be downplayed since they often are not working out in the public, nor are they making public blog posts advertising what they are doing.

You have seemingly missed the point of the article entirely, while also becoming offended for... I'm not even sure. Not being mentioned maybe? The internet will never cease to be a rich vein of absolutely baffling behavior

I made OSS my full time job, and have a good lifestyle from it for more than 15 years.

I'm the exception that proves the rule, perhaps. Or maybe not. I don't know, and I suspect you don't know either.

I know plenty of OSS companies willing to pay for software engineers. Why shouldn't it be a good lifestyle choice for developers?

The lifestyle worked in a time that creating OSS was hard to make.

Now it has gotten cheaper and cheaper with AI, to the point that OSS software can now be vibe coded and rebuilt in hours.

Why pour all that money in an OSS developer when you can vibe code your own?