Quid pro quo strongly tied to the balance of power. Tiny Co. will probably not only refuse to hire people coming from Huge Co. but may may go the extra step and

Quid pro quo strongly tied to the balance of power. Tiny Co. will probably not only refuse to hire people coming from Huge Co. but may may go the extra step and give Huge Co. a heads up in an attempt to gain favors with them. Plenty or such small companies got burned by getting on the wrong side of much larger companies, and ended up crippled by being denied contracts, or having their best people poached. The rest is the classic collusion between companies who see no reason to compete over people because this only drives salaries higher and raises payroll costs.