One reason staffers quit Google's car project? They were paid too much

A talent exodus happened at a time when Google was trying to turn the project into a real business

For the past year, Google’s car project has been a talent sieve, thanks to leadership changes, strategy doubts, new start-up dreams and rivals luring self-driving technology experts. Another force pushing people out? Money. A lot of it.

Early staffers had an unusual compensation system that awarded supersized payouts based on the project’s value. By late 2015, the numbers were so big that several veteran members didn’t need the job security anymore, making them more open to other opportunities, according to people familiar with the situation. Two people called it “F-you money.”

In December, the car unit morphed into