Is it just the VC thing? There is heaps more money sloshing around in Silicon Valley than anywhere in Europe.
Then market dynamics have come in and you fund 1 company with a gazillion dollars it pays Market + 30% then another company gets a gazillion and it pays Market + 30% + 30% (of course it isn't all cash it's tied up in options, and bonuses etc).
So when someone at google say earns 350k/annum* it's not as insane as that sounds to a european because they actually mean something like: 180k (money) / 100k (shares) / 70k bonus (I mean it's still insane). So having companies and a healthy stock market, and bonuses are usually tied to performance of individual and/or company so It's possible in a bad year they dont get their bonus and their shares reduce heavily in value.
* No idea if this is even ballpark, but just random names and numbers for example sake
Then market dynamics have come in and you fund 1 company with a gazillion dollars it pays Market + 30% then another company gets a gazillion and it pays Market + 30% + 30% (of course it isn't all cash it's tied up in options, and bonuses etc).
So when someone at google say earns 350k/annum* it's not as insane as that sounds to a european because they actually mean something like: 180k (money) / 100k (shares) / 70k bonus (I mean it's still insane). So having companies and a healthy stock market, and bonuses are usually tied to performance of individual and/or company so It's possible in a bad year they dont get their bonus and their shares reduce heavily in value.
* No idea if this is even ballpark, but just random names and numbers for example sake