This ^ Exactly this. I worked at Google for a while. I started there at 50% more than my previous compensation, but two steps down in terms of responsibility.

This ^ Exactly this. I worked at Google for a while. I started there at 50% more than my previous compensation, but two steps down in terms of responsibility. After a couple of years of my manager saying that I'd be ready to apply for promo when the current project finished and watching projects fly by, I started shopping my resume around.