I think a lot depends on if a company is on the way up or the way down.
If a company’s prospects are bright then the labor they use as input will be multiplied many times over by what they can sell their output for and the premium is on finding good people and what they pay them is secondary.
If on the other hand this is a company that has enjoyed some success in the past but is now on a death march to irrelevance the incentives are completely reversed. Here’s it’s all about keeping the Titanic afloat and if possible stealing the chandeliers and getting them in the lifeboats. In this case the premium is on finding as many low priced drones as possible to keep bailing water out of the sinking ship.
Two different scenarios - two different outcomes.
Words of wisdom! :)