A 60% hike or job security? This tech worker’s story is sparking debate

A Bengaluru-based tech professional has ignited discussion on whether employees should prioritise job security over steep salary hikes. Sharing the experience of a worker who left a stable role for a 60% pay increase only to lose the new job months later, he argued that stability has become a crucial factor in an increasingly uncertain technology job market.

A 60% salary hike can make even the most cautious professional stop and think. After all, career advice in the corporate world has long been straightforward: If a better offer comes along, take it. Higher pay usually means career growth, greater responsibilities, and a chance to improve one’s financial future.But a Bengaluru-based tech professional is challenging that logic, arguing that in today’s uncertain job market, stability may be worth far more than a larger paycheck.The advice, shared by Sunny Kumar in a widely discussed Instagram video, has struck a chord with many professionals navigating an IT industry that looks very different from the one that existed just a few years ago.

A tempting offer that went wrong

Kumar recounted the story of a friend who was working at MasterCard in Pune. According to him, the employee had what many professionals would consider an ideal setup, a respected employer, a good salary, and a role he was comfortable in. Then came an offer from a smaller consultancy firm.The catch? A staggering 60% increase in compensation. For most employees, such a jump would be difficult to ignore. Kumar admitted as much in his video. Few people, he said, would willingly reject that kind of money.His friend didn’t. He resigned from the multinational company and joined the consultancy, believing the move would accelerate his career and earnings. Instead, it became a lesson in how quickly fortunes can change in the technology sector.Within six months, the consultancy reportedly lost the project for which he had been hired. Without that business, the company no longer needed the role. The employee was allegedly asked to resign or face termination.Eventually, he lost the job. The lucrative raise that had convinced him to switch employers suddenly meant very little.

Why the advice is resonating

Using the incident as an example, Kumar urged professionals to think twice before chasing higher salaries, particularly in the current market.“If you are working in a stable job, good salary, good company, then I would really suggest even if you are getting 60-70%, even 100% hike, at least for six months to one year, don’t switch. The IT sector is really volatile these days,” he said.His warning arrives at a time when job security has become a growing concern across the technology industry. The post-pandemic hiring frenzy created a generation of professionals who became accustomed to frequent job switches and rapid salary growth. But the world has changed dramatically. Layoffs, project cancellations, restructuring exercises, and cost-cutting measures have become increasingly common across the sector.For many employees, the question is no longer how much a new job pays. It is whether the job will still exist a year later.

Not everyone agrees

Yet Kumar’s advice quickly divided opinion online. Several users pointed out that large organisations are hardly immune from layoffs.One commenter revealed that they had recently lost their job at HSBC, arguing that no employer can guarantee safety. Others noted that major corporations across industries have announced workforce reductions over the past few years despite reporting strong revenues and profits.Some questioned whether Kumar’s friend would necessarily have been safer had he stayed at MasterCard.“What if he was laid off from MasterCard too?” one user asked, reflecting a sentiment shared by many professionals who have witnessed restructuring at some of the world’s biggest companies.Another comment perhaps summed up the opposing view most succinctly: “You can get fired from a big company and a small company. The difference is that one paid you 60% more while you were there.”

The real issue isn’t size

Beyond the debate over large versus small employers, several professionals argued that company size is only one part of the equation.What matters more, they said, is understanding a company’s fundamentals. Revenue growth, profitability, client dependency, future hiring plans, investments in emerging technologies, and overall business health often provide a clearer picture of stability than employee count alone.A poorly performing multinational can be just as risky as a struggling startup. Likewise, a well-managed niche firm may offer greater long-term security than a large organisation facing structural challenges.The comments section effectively turned into a masterclass on modern job hunting, with users encouraging professionals to conduct deeper research before accepting offers.

A changing definition of success

The debate reveals something larger about today’s workforce. For years, career success was measured largely through compensation. Bigger salary packages often justified the risks associated with switching jobs.Now, many professionals are adding another factor to the calculation: predictability. In an environment where entire teams can disappear overnight and business priorities can change in a matter of months, stability has become a valuable currency in its own right.That does not mean employees should never switch jobs. Nor does it mean every small company is risky and every multinational is safe. What it does mean is that salary hikes, however attractive, no longer tell the whole story.For professionals weighing their next move, the lesson may be less about choosing big companies over small ones and more about understanding exactly what lies behind the offer letter.Sometimes the biggest number on the page is not the most important one.