Doesn't this happen already? Moreover, I don't think it will ever get as unbalanced as wallstreet compensation was at the height of the financial boom simply because we aren't as "close to the money" as traders are. E.g. A trader has a P&L so it's very easy to calculate how much value he brings to the firm. For an engineers working in industries other than finance the calculation isn't as straightforward and requires more art (read: politics) than simple calculations.