I've lamented that in the late 90s, it seemed like there were a lot of smaller companies hiring at good pay. I've seen job listings recently, looking for senior engineers with a laundry list of skills, and the pay is lower than I made in 1998 as a new grad, adjusted for inflation.

However, I have to admit that maybe companies that engaged in this seemingly fair behavior went out of business because, ultimately, it's not good business. It seems like the only places paying well these days are FAANGs (or whatever it's mutated to) that will work you to the bone.