There are many programmers who earn that kind of salary and don't fit your description of being in finance or climbing the managerial ladder for years on end.
Who are they and where do they work? I am looking for a job.
Find product companies where top-percentile individual contributors can make a huge difference to the company's bottom line and are renumerated accordingly.
Sorry to be unhelpful. The specific examples I could have given you wouldn't have been useful in your personal job search and giving them would have meant betraying the confidence of close friends and acquaintances. My post's somewhat abstract answer was a common denominator.
You were hoping for a list of companies where psykotic has friends who have shared their confidential salaries with him/her, usually small web businesses with a max of 5 or so programmers, so you can ring up and demand your $200k job?
Who are they and where do they work? I am looking for a job.