No, it's not. Higher performance is rewarded with higher equity, salary, and bonus. You can argue that someone's worth more less than they're paid, but there ar

No, it's not. Higher performance is rewarded with higher equity, salary, and bonus. You can argue that someone's worth more less than they're paid, but there are paid less because they're performing at a recognized higher level but not promoted. Also, higher level is imaginary anyway. Directors aren't better than ICs just because they sit at choke points in the org chart.