This comment seems really broad, I've worked in big and small companies and the size of the company had nothing to do with whether or not I was given the ownership and freedom to be creative. On what basis are you judging that this is the case?

I agree with you, I've had good and bad experiences at big and small companies.

One thing - I think that if someone is hiring a programmer, that's already an indication that they are looking more for someone to execute a vision than to be "creative". This isn't always the case, but it leans that way. People have an idea, or a need, and they realize they need a programmer to implement it, so they set out to hire one.

There are some highly coveted R&Dish programming jobs out there at big companies (such as the old Sun Labs) - smaller companies may have trouble supporting something like this. But if you want to really be creative, you may have to strike out on your own, launch side projects, and so forth. It's tough, because it's hard to get this and a stable salary at the same time.