Showtalk said:

So he was rewarded for persistence not for educational accomplishments. It helps that he’s extremely smart and good with people. He just wasn’t very good at college.

My lack of people skills for most of my life significantly truncated my overall level of success compared to what should have been possible. I excelled in areas that didn't require people skills, but the problem is, to get into the really big bucks and be seen as valued by the apparatchik and rewarded handsomely, takes people skills - the gift of gab.

I know too many fellow nerds and geeks who have spent a lifetime not making anywhere what we produced for those who have the people skills to get beyond trading hours for dollars, and also far too many people who "have a lot more dollars than sense" that if they didn't have the people skills, wouldn't have been someone you'd want digging your post holes because they'd probably puncture a high voltage buried underground line or a gas pipe.

Thus, intelligence is not a predictor of one's income and material achievements.

That is somewhat true. The person I used in my example is very social and an excellent talker.  However, a lot of people who don’t do well socially due to autism or just being awake are at speaking, do extremely well in tech and in research positions where they work with a product or data more than with other people.

Often, even in those kind of positions of tech or research, sometimes one can be taken advantage of. This is where transparent salary data can level that playing field by giving a lot of people knowledge of what their skillsets are truly worth, so they can demand that value, instead of unwittingly accepting lowball offers through a good portion of their careers.

Yes, that is also true.  But it’s harder to take advantage of employees in tech fields, at least, because they tend to be higher paid jobs anyway

Showtalk said:

But it’s harder to take advantage of employees in tech fields, at least, because they tend to be higher paid jobs anyway

It depends on the specific industry and location. A big difference in, say, Silicon Valley and Austin, versus a coal mine trying to automate in Podunk.

Coal mi e automation is probably lower level tech.

Dunno - I've seen some amazing stuff in the various energy extraction industries to make the work safer and more efficient.