Me? I still think the reason these people are talked about is because they are the exception, rather than the rule. I’ve got all my out-of-print books on the Kindle and I make a couple hundred bucks a month. Not living-on-money. And even Boyd Morrison - another writer highlighted in the article - seems to defining success as selling his self-pubbed book to one of the big six.
For the pros and cons of self-publishing, publishing with one of the big six, or with a small house, read this extremely thorough analysis.