I don't think that's the message here. You don't /need/ that kind of money to work full-time on open source if you're happy to keep to a lower cost of living.
The biggest cost involved in full time open source work is opportunity cost.
If you have the skills to maintain a popular open source project, you could almost certainly be earning $250,000/year or more at one of the big tech companies.
The biggest cost involved in full time open source work is opportunity cost.
If you have the skills to maintain a popular open source project, you could almost certainly be earning $250,000/year or more at one of the big tech companies.