In another thread, there was some discussion about what a pinball designer gets paid. The consensus was "not as much as you think", outside of SR.
I'm sure many of these guys, who have been around for decades, can get some decent work for decent pay in other industries (and have).
I know jpop is enjoying his current biz, and not having his project deadline tied to a factory assembly line. As Gary Stern has said, they're in the manufacturing biz, so everything revolves around the factory.