The "You're Not Working With The Owner" aspect of a big company is usually the most underrated reason why some companies succeed in hiring and retaining top performers, and some don't.

The immediate manager is a major reason, from what I've seen, for why people leave or love their jobs. The manager may not even share the same ethics that need to flow down in the company from the founders/owners, and may even work towards ensuring her/his own appraisal success. This is why maintaining the big company's culture is such a tough task, and one bad hire at a senior level can slowly destroy major chunks of it.