Salary negotiations often become a talking point during job interviews, especially when candidates ask for a significant hike over their current CTC. One such conversation recently went viral on X after a Chennai-based founder shared that a tech professional with 4 years of experience expected more than double their existing salary.
Dr Sumanth Raman, founder of Algorithm Health Ltd, shared the incident on X, which quickly triggered a debate about salary expectations and hiring practices. In the post, Raman recalled interviewing a candidate for a tech role who was earning ₹7.2 LPA at their current company.
During the interview, he asked the candidate about their salary expectations. To which the candidate stated a demand of ₹16 LPA. Raman noted that the expectation was more than double the current pay, to which the candidate responded that this was indeed what he was looking for.
“Interviewed a candidate for a techie opening yesterday. CTC for the candidate with 4 years experience in current company is 7.2 LPA. Asked what the expectation was. Candidate says 16 lakh. I said that’s more than double current CTC. Candidate says yes that’s what I want. Conversation ended soon after,” he wrote.
Raman concluded the post saying that the conversation made him feel increasingly “out of touch with today’s generation.”
What did social media say?
The post quickly gained traction on social media, with users sharing differing views on the candidate’s demand and the hiring process itself.
“Admittedly lot of youngsters are bit ‘airy’ in their salary expectations. But why would you need to know their current CTC? What value addition does it make in selecting a candidate, except to restrict your offer to that number, if your internal budget is a lot more? Just curious,” one user wrote.
“This stupid idea of giving a raise based on last salary needs to stop. Have a budget for the role hire the person if he is able to get the job done that’s it no need to dig his/her past,” commented another.
Others felt the salary expectation was not unreasonable given the current technology job market.
“4 YOE at 7.2 LPA asking 16 is aggressive but not crazy in 2026 product/metro market. Many switchers are doubling pay. Old ‘2x rule’ feels outdated when skills & demand vary wildly. Market rate > current CTC,” wrote a third user.
Some users also criticised the practice of basing offers on a candidate’s previous salary.
“This right here is the perfect example of the ‘Boomer’ culture that needs to die. Why does anyone need to know what the candidate’s previous CTC was? You have a role for which you have a salary range allocated. Open with that and negotiate. Rest is just bullcrap!” commented one user.
“It is not about years of experience vs pay..What value does a candidate bring in ? If his expertise justifies it, then nothing wrong in paying a good candidate…Just because he is asking more than double does not mean conversation should’nt go forward,” wrote another.
