I guess I'm just not convinced that going from a 25% programmer to a top 0.1% programmer is an efficient way of making $1 million per year.
I think you are far better off working on your social and business skills.
Maybe that's "beating the system", but an incredible amount of money has been made by people whose technical abilities did not go beyond mediocre PHP skills.
Were those people who made incredible amounts of money without technical abilities beyond mediocre PHP skills making their money as salaried software engineers? OP specifically asked about making a $1MM/year while still working as a programmer without social skills.
I think you are far better off working on your social and business skills.
Maybe that's "beating the system", but an incredible amount of money has been made by people whose technical abilities did not go beyond mediocre PHP skills.