Probably a confluence of many things, but the list is:
* Ive been at the company for over 15 years
* The local job market (Bay Area) is (was?) quite hot, and the company is not a sexy silicon valley destination that attracts talent.
* The company could not match the FAANG companies, and some folks had already jumped ship
* The raise from my annual view was less than desired. When it was clear that more salary was not an option, a got creative and asked for an equally valuable asset... my own time.
* Top it off, my boss is fantastic
I have a hunch you're right. BTW, I didn't come here to do this, but the company is great, quite large, and has lots of open roles world wide. Also open to fully remote software engineers. I won't share the company unless someone asks though.
I cannot see how a manager/director at a BigCo would be able approve something like this since everything is standardized (like base pay at each level)