On a related note, is there any successful pay for performance scheme for engineers? Pay-per-performance is well established in sales and marketing. Even when

On a related note, is there any successful pay for performance scheme for engineers? Pay-per-performance is well established in sales and marketing. Even when the sales/marketing strategy requires a large team to implement, the spoils go to the top. It seems the only time engineers get properly compensated for the value they create is when it is so obvious and the owners can't get away with stiffing them. Startups are well known for stiffing engineers because the teams are small, there are no repercussions and the founders don't have much of reputation to begin with. It's harder in bigger companies since it sends the wrong message to others in the company and destroys your reputation. Maybe there is no such thing as fair compensation. Just get leverage and negotiate or obtain a position of power (authority) within the company.