While reading the other thread (https://www.reddit.com/r/MachineLearning/comments/d1ooem/d_when_the_ai_professor_leaves_students_suffer/), someone linked to a H1B database of professor salaries which showed assistant professors are getting paid ~120K max at a top school like CMU (unless in the business school).

Is this really true? Is there variance among schools? I am very surprised since these candidates could easily make 300K-500K as a research scientist at the big tech companies. Granted, there is still old school prestige attached to being a professor, but it seems like they are leaving a lot of money on the table.