A recent social media post by recruiter Juned Khatri has ignited a heated debate about salary expectations in the tech sector after he shared that a potential hire turned down a ₹96 lakh per annum offer, demanding ₹1.03 crore instead. Khatri’s post on X (formerly Twitter) quickly gained traction, drawing widespread attention from professionals and job seekers across the platform.
According to Khatri, he was recruiting for a ‘ Head of Engineering’ position at a company that had shown strong interest in one particular candidate. Despite the company’s willingness to offer a high package, the candidate’s expectations were significantly above the budgeted range for the role. The recruiter shared that the candidate was seeking ₹1.03 crore as a fixed annual salary, while the firm had capped its budget at ₹96 lakh. Negotiation attempts were made to bridge the gap, but the discussions reached a stalemate, leading the candidate to withdraw from consideration.
In a follow-up exchange on the same post, Khatri disclosed that the candidate possessed 17 years of professional experience in the industry. He admitted that it was disappointing to lose such a promising profile due to budget constraints, emphasizing that despite efforts to find a middle ground, the deal could not be finalized.
The post soon became a viral talking point, sparking a mix of reactions ranging from humorous comments to thoughtful insights on salary inflation and industry standards. Some users expressed curiosity about the exact nature of the position, while many others joined the conversation with lighthearted offers to take the job themselves at lower pay. One user humorously remarked they would accept the role for ₹90 lakh, while another joked that they were ready to learn anything required for the job if hired at the same rate. Others chimed in with tongue-in-cheek comments, offering to do the job for ₹40 lakh or slightly below the company’s original offer.
The incident has since evolved into a broader conversation on compensation expectations and the growing salary gap in India’s tech industry.
According to Khatri, he was recruiting for a ‘ Head of Engineering’ position at a company that had shown strong interest in one particular candidate. Despite the company’s willingness to offer a high package, the candidate’s expectations were significantly above the budgeted range for the role. The recruiter shared that the candidate was seeking ₹1.03 crore as a fixed annual salary, while the firm had capped its budget at ₹96 lakh. Negotiation attempts were made to bridge the gap, but the discussions reached a stalemate, leading the candidate to withdraw from consideration.
hurts to reject this one candidate,
— Juned Khatri | Engineer Turned Recruiter 🇮🇳 (@hijunedkhatri) October 8, 2025
he is at 1.3cr and the budget for the role is 96L.
tried talking a mid ground on both ends, didn't work.
In a follow-up exchange on the same post, Khatri disclosed that the candidate possessed 17 years of professional experience in the industry. He admitted that it was disappointing to lose such a promising profile due to budget constraints, emphasizing that despite efforts to find a middle ground, the deal could not be finalized.
The post soon became a viral talking point, sparking a mix of reactions ranging from humorous comments to thoughtful insights on salary inflation and industry standards. Some users expressed curiosity about the exact nature of the position, while many others joined the conversation with lighthearted offers to take the job themselves at lower pay. One user humorously remarked they would accept the role for ₹90 lakh, while another joked that they were ready to learn anything required for the job if hired at the same rate. Others chimed in with tongue-in-cheek comments, offering to do the job for ₹40 lakh or slightly below the company’s original offer.
The incident has since evolved into a broader conversation on compensation expectations and the growing salary gap in India’s tech industry.
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