> [Tom] Chavez thinks industry titans like Larry Page, the chief executive of the Alphabet holding company that includes Google, are intentionally driving up salaries. “If I was Larry, I’d do the same thing: throw a few more million at people and cut off everyone else’s oxygen.”

Cut off everyone else's oxygen? There are maybe 10 companies that hire in volume and are willing to match top tier offers. The companies that aren't willing to match top tier offers could do so by hiring fewer people and paying them better, but they choose not to. Those companies are cutting off their own oxygen.

Some companies are willing to pay more than others, often by 2x or more, and those companies have a lot more options when it comes to hiring. That's how the market works now that the wage suppressing no-poach agreement has been canceled. And frankly, that's how it should work. Companies should be able to go out and pay market rate to get the people they want. And people should be able to take advantage of that.