A former Google employee revealed he earned $986,000 in a single year yet left the company. Compensation included base salary, bonuses, and RSUs vesting at Alphabet’s $175 share price. Despite the pay, he cited frustration with slow decision making and lack of impact. Google’s headcount grew 20% in 2021 to 187,000 employees, diluting individual influence.

This is not a retention problem. It is a structural one. Google’s scale now demands process over speed, and top performers chafe at the tradeoff. The real signal is that $1M is no longer a moat when ambition and agency are the new currency. Second order effect: rising attrition at Big Tech funnels talent into startups, accelerating innovation outside the incumbents.

Startups win. Google loses momentum. Employees with leverage win. Shareholders lose as retention costs rise without productivity gains.

Watch for a wave of high earning departures from Meta, Amazon, and Apple as stock vesting peaks and dissatisfaction with bureaucratic drag grows. Expect startup funding rounds to feature more ex-Google founders.