You are very right. To be blunt, the OP needs to be called out on his BS. I personally, lived in the SV area for over a decade (single and very frugal) made good salary (non FAANG companies) but my savings though substantial, were nowhere near what the OP is claiming. It is simply not possible.
I am not sure why people on HN state/claim all sorts of outrageous salaries in the Bay area. It gives a very distorted view of reality and frankly harmful to both employers and employees.
Sure, but that presupposes stocks, other investments, equity etc etc. You need those and a big dose of luck too. The way the OP's post was written it seemed to imply that he made it on his take-home salary by itself which is impossible. The only thing i agree with the OP, is to NOT go for VC money in the beginning (as far as possible).
1) Hold down a regular job for a decent period of time and earn as much as you can.
2) Save, Save, Save i.e. no risky investments on a large portion of your income. This is your safety net.
3) Simultaneously, get started working on your ideas/company by yourself or with a close-knit group. Spend no money; only your effort and time.
4) Once you have the whole picture/Prototype/MVP figured out estimate how much it is going to cost you to move ahead. All information is available on the net and hence do your proper research i.e. don't pay any "consultant" for advice. You can also shoot an email and seek advice from people like Paul Graham/Joel Spolsky etc. Remember, "Fortune favours the Brave".
5) As long as it is bearable, spend your or group's money to move ahead. It is important to cut any and all unnecessary expenses at this stage. Spend only what is needed and not a penny more.
6) Once the above is stable, you can now decide on whether you want to quit your day job and spend your whole time on your "New" company. This will be a function of your safety net savings mentioned above.
7) In order to not blow everything on a idea/company which may not pan out, set a threshold on your expenditure dropping below which you will approach others for money (i.e. VC/Angel etc.) or abandon the idea/company and return to being a regular salary man. This is to ensure that you don't end up on the streets.
8) Your are now at the stage where you are proceeding with your own company or have gone back to salaried employment and hopefully working on taking a second crack at entrepreneurship.
I am not sure why people on HN state/claim all sorts of outrageous salaries in the Bay area. It gives a very distorted view of reality and frankly harmful to both employers and employees.