Demonstrated performance on what? A padded resume? A minimal contribution to a well known large project?
Or is your ideal company one that hires 100 programmers to perform the same task and then fire the bottom 95% after a code review?
You're assuming the company has already hired all-star talent (accidentally?) and just needs to pay off their demands. What happens when this all-star leaves to balloon across the world - how do you find a replacement?
This is why projects with large teams contributing to one system or application make it exceptionally hard to pick and reward good programmers. Their contributions just wont stand out functionally in the mass of mediocre performing system.
Moreover, their code may be considered unreadable or even dangerous by less experienced team members, leading to situations when he is considered less capable by the management than actually is.
It seems to me developing systems with loosely coupled components rather than tight, rigid interfaces, and keeping overall size small is the only way for assessing performance of products of individuals. Not an easy way, for sure.
Or is your ideal company one that hires 100 programmers to perform the same task and then fire the bottom 95% after a code review? You're assuming the company has already hired all-star talent (accidentally?) and just needs to pay off their demands. What happens when this all-star leaves to balloon across the world - how do you find a replacement?