CEO offers ₹28 LPA, candidate accepts; then asks ₹36 LPA days before joining. Internet calls it 'calculative and smart'

A hiring experience shared by KnotDating co-founder and CEO Jasveer Singh has sparked a debate online after his post about a developer renegotiating salary just days before joining went viral on X.

In the post, Singh described interviewing a backend developer who was earning ₹21 lakh per annum (LPA). According to him, the company offered the candidate ₹28 LPA, which represented roughly a 33% salary hike. The candidate accepted the offer and confirmed the joining date.

However, the situation changed shortly before the expected start date.

“Guy was at 21 LPA. We offered 28 LPA, roughly a 33 percent hike. He agreed and confirmed joining. Yesterday he emailed saying he got a 32 LPA offer elsewhere and now wants 36 LPA from us.”

Singh said he was frustrated by the timing of the demand, especially because the company had already paused its hiring process after the candidate confirmed the offer.

"Nonsense. Why agree in the first place. If you are still shopping offers just say it upfront. We stopped interviewing other candidates and waited through the notice period for the joining date."

He further wrote that the candidate came back with the new salary expectation just days before joining.

"Now two days before joining, he came back with a new price tag," he concluded his post.

Singh also shared a screenshot of the candidate’s email. In it, the developer requested a revised compensation package of ₹36 LPA.

Check out the viral post here:

The post, shared earlier today, quickly gained traction online and has already crossed 1.3 million views, triggering a wave of reactions from users.

Some users defended the candidate, arguing that negotiating offers is a common practice in the competitive tech job market.

"What’s wrong with this? Candidate has all rights to negotiate. He has skills that are in demand. This is capitalism world , companies do the same - re-org, firing, etc." one user wrote.

Responding to the comment, Singh clarified that his concern was not about negotiation itself but about the timing.

"There is nothing wrong with negotiation. The problem is doing it after agreeing and confirming the joining date. Negotiation should happen before the commitment, not after it. It’s like saying that after getting engaged, your fiancé is still going out on dates."

Other users pointed out that the candidate may have strategically used competing offers to increase his salary.

"He used your 28lpa offer to get 32 lpa and using that 32 lpa to get to 36 lpa.. Calculative and smart," one user joked.

Another user added, "Why blame the candidate. Market decides salary. He is just optimizing for himself."

Some also offered practical suggestions for employers.

"Next time take their signatures on job agreements, that is the only thing that can uphold in courts," a user suggested.

Others said the issue is common in the IT sector, particularly during long notice periods.

"Market is competitive and this is a common issue especially in IT sector that most people are shopping offers while serving notice. It has to be fixed within system only - may be, a less notice period clause rather having as high as 3 months, solve at some extent," another user wrote.

(This report is based on user-generated content from social media. Livemint has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.)