I was with you until you decided to call people who pay you and organize your labor "ruthless jackasses." Just because you can't touch or appreciate their work doesn't mean that they don't add value.
I think his point, without the "jackasses" part, is this - value creation is not zero sum, but value claiming is, so if you're creating more value than you're claiming in compensation, it implies that the person on the other side of the table is claiming more compensation than they've created value. This is what you're negotiating when you negotiate salary, benefits, and working conditions, and a lot of that has to do with your BATNA - the pay you could be getting elsewhere, and the others your employer could hire.
So if you could be getting more elsewhere, then the others who are splitting up the profits are getting more compensation than they created value - others who are getting far less than their market value aren't part of the negotiation, unless your employer is thinking of hiring them.
In short: If you're thinking of working in Finance, and your employer has no intention of hiring a starving programmer from another country, then you're underpaid. If your employer is looking into outsourcing, and you're not searching for jobs, you're overpaid.
Just because you can't touch or appreciate their work
I can definitely appreciate the work, as I'm a business owner. I know this kind of objectivity is a bit strange, but I have both employees and clients, so I see both sides of the table on a regular basis. I'm just calling it like I see it.
Well, I can't speak for anyone else, but I try to be one most of the time. It doesn't always work, because I am not a sociopath and I follow the law, but I'm sure there are others out there that don't have these hangups.
