https://www.kalzumeus.com/2012/01/23/salary-negotiation/

"You might think that desirable jobs at well-managed companies (Google, Microsoft, hot startup FooWithTheWhat.ly, etc) have layers and layers of bureaucratic scar tissue to ensure that their hiring will conform to established processes and that offers will not be given to candidates sourced by using informal networks and interpersonal connections. If you believe this, you have a dangerously incomplete mental model of how the world operates".

Is this true? What are some of your experiences about this topic?