The Netflix culture slides immediately came to mind:
"At many firms, when employees are hired, market compensation applies. (but at comp review time, it no longer applies!) At Netflix, market comp always applies: esentially, top of market comp is re-established each year for high performing employees. At annual comp review, manager has to answer the Three Test for the personal market for each of their employees:
1. What could person get elsewhere?
2. What would we pay for replacement?
3. What would we pay to keep that person? (if they had a bigger offer elsewhere?)
I think the culture (both socially and technically) where I work is great, and I couldn't imagine much better, but all of the Glassdoor reviews are quite negative.
I can only assume it is because happy employees don't bother posting to Glassdoor.
The glassdoor stats are useful, but as you said seem to reflect disgruntled or people on the way out. For example, the pay ranges were at the bottom of the level band (which was tied to the job titles) corresponding to my previous employer. There are only two reasons to be at the bottom: just promoted, or...
I agree, you barely see salaies close to $200K for software engineers in Bay Area but it's a norm for good engineers here. They can get paid up to $250K for their job in Bay Area.
"At many firms, when employees are hired, market compensation applies. (but at comp review time, it no longer applies!) At Netflix, market comp always applies: esentially, top of market comp is re-established each year for high performing employees. At annual comp review, manager has to answer the Three Test for the personal market for each of their employees:
1. What could person get elsewhere?
2. What would we pay for replacement?
3. What would we pay to keep that person? (if they had a bigger offer elsewhere?)
http://www.slideshare.net/reed2001/culture-1798664
edit: slides 96 and 100