What seems to be happening here is someone saying "I did a self-reporting survey of salaries, and there's an existence proof that someone at my level is getting

What seems to be happening here is someone saying "I did a self-reporting survey of salaries, and there's an existence proof that someone at my level is getting paid $X, can I get paid closer to $X than my current salary." Which is sound. It's sound modulo the assumption that everybody is being honest when they report their salaries, sure. Of course, in a company Google's size, there are always going to be outliers, so "someone at my level is getting paid $X" is a long way from "everybody at my level should be getting paid $X". If I apply for Google and try to negotiate a $200K salary, is that low? high? so high I'll get my offer revoked? (I've heard of that happening in tech!) I have no idea. Right, and that's the proper use of such anecdata -- to help you formulate your bargaining strategy, not as a bargaining chip itself. Ironically, if information like this had been available back in 2006, I might be working for Google: A few months after I rejected their offer, I was told that it was "pathetically low" and that I could have negotiated at least 50% more. If I had been offered that much more it might have factored into my decision; but I didn't know I could negotiate, so I ended up simply rejecting the offer.