However, an IC @ Google outside the US still makes 2-3x what their local employment market will pay even without playing all careerist & promo games.

Source: was IC @ Google.

Frankly I've accumulated the cynical opinion that Google wants to asphyxiate the local job markets of talent. They need to do this to keep their lead in advertising, etc., and they can afford to do it because of their lead. Paying 2x what local employers pay stops many local employers (usually underfunded by anemic local investment culture) from firing up some fancy new ad-tech startup or whatever.