This company made everyone’s salary public information

27 Apr 2026 · 1 min

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In this video, Dan Novaes explains how Buffer broke from the norm of private compensation by publishing every employee's salary online and allowing staff to help determine their own pay. Buffer created a transparent compensation formula based on role, experience, and location, which employees could understand and even suggest adjustments to based on their contributions. While many initially feared jealousy and conflict, the policy instead fostered trust, confidence in decision‑making, and a broader shift in how companies view fairness and openness. Novaes frames the initiative as an innovation in organizational transparency rather than technology.

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Buffer made salaries completely transparent, even letting employees help decide their own pay. In most companies, salary is private. Employees don't know what others earn. Negotiations happen behind closed doors. Buffer tried something different. They published every employee's salary online. Anyone could see it. The company also created a formula. Pay was based on role, experience, and location. Employees could understand exactly how their salary was calculated. Some could even suggest adjustments based on their contributions. At first, many thought this would cause problems. Jealousy, conflict, predict unfair comparisons. But the opposite happened. Transparency built trust. Employees felt more confident in how decisions were made. Buffer didn't just change salaries, they changed how companies think about fairness and openness. Sometimes innovation isn't about technology, it's about removing secrecy from systems people rely on every day.