Why is there such a big salary difference between the executives and their engineers? Without us they wouldn't have a product to sell! Who feels under appreciated?
There's a reason it took Google almost a year to find a new CFO.
If you think Google is undervaluing your work there's only three ways to do: one, convince Google to pay you more; two, go work for a company that will pay you what you think you're worth; and three, strike out on your own and let the market prove to everyone what you're worth.
Anything else is just whining.
From an employee's perspective, I agree. From Google's perspective, I think questioning senior executive pay versus engineer pay is valid; why pay engineers this much and managers that much? Is that healthy?
"investigations reveal that even in such technical lines such as engineering, about 15% of one's financial success is due to one's technical knowledge and about 85% is due to skill in human engineering-- to personality and the ability to lead people." -- How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie