>They just found another heavily specialized engineer and made him an obscene offer That's unfortunately not something that most smaller companies can afford t

>They just found another heavily specialized engineer and made him an obscene offer That's unfortunately not something that most smaller companies can afford to replicate and still be alive. If you've got unlimited money sure, everyone's replaceable as the problem boils down to having enough money to poach the next best replacement, but hiring the best of the best with guarantee they can take over the most complex codebases quickly without impacting operations, is an endeavor that can sink small companies if the bus factor hits their core.