[fishnchips]

That. As an ex-Google engineer, I'm often asked why I quit. I usually reply with a soccer analogy. If you're a decent player, and somehow you're bought by Real Madrid, you won't see much real action. There are enough superstars (technical and political) who get to do exciting stuff to keep you relegated to tedious, menial tasks.

[raverbashing]

Good Analogy

Real Madrid salaries for "average talent" are probably more competitive as well

[fishnchips]

Google is known for paying way above market average, but there's also the question of levels. I'd venture to say that most Google engineers I know work two levels below their capability. The concentration of talent is one thing, but the promotion process is so tedious that folks just tend not to go for it. As a result, what you call "average talent" will more than likely get less compensation at Google than they otherwise would. Certainly that was my case, even though money played no part in my decision.