If you search harder for them, the bar is lowered by virtue of letting them be less outstanding / noticeable.

That doesn't follow if they're passing the same hiring process. It's not hard at all to get a contact for a phone screen with Google: I've been contacted by Google recruiters on linkedin with a barely filled out profile with one or two unremarkable positions listed. If you're counting the initial discovery phase as part of the hiring process, you're mistaken.

I believe the memo + followups included claims that the hiring process is not the same either.

If that's the case, then yeah definitely a problem