Many techies are earning Rs 1 crore or more in 4-5 years. But here is the catch as IT professionals debate

A debate over tech salaries in India has taken center stage on the anonymous platform Blind, where tech professionals from global giants like Apple, Microsoft, and JPMorgan Chase have weighed in with contrasting views. The discussion began when a Walmart employee with over 13 years of experience questioned the sudden rise of Rs 1 crore-plus compensation packages among techies with just four to five years of experience.

While some professionals at Microsoft and Apple supported the trend, calling such high salaries increasingly attainable in top-tier firms, others, others pushed back, calling it far from the industry standard.

At the heart of the debate is a growing divide in the Indian tech salary structure. According to professionals from Microsoft, salaries nearing Rs 90 lakh to Rs 1.5 crore are now within reach for those with around 8 years of experience—especially in premium product companies. Apple insiders, however, suggested that Rs 75 lakh remains a more realistic benchmark for most, emphasizing that Rs 1 crore compensation packages are still rare and generally limited to a few elite roles. Meanwhile, a professional from JPMorgan Chase cautioned that such figures were highly inflated and misrepresented the broader market.

He noted that in many cases, mid-level engineers are still offered between Rs 20-25 lakh, and breaking into the top-paying firms remains fiercely competitive.

The original post that sparked the discussion came from a senior Walmart techie who expressed disbelief over junior employees surpassing ₹1 crore in total compensation. His post also included a poll asking what a "decent salary" should be for someone with 13 years of experience in data engineering. The results reflected shifting expectations: about one third said that Rs 75 lakh was a reasonable benchmark. A significant number of respondents felt Rs 1 crore was acceptable, signaling a clear upward drift in salary expectations.

However, many contributors stressed the importance of context. Several users pointed out that only a few top product companies offer compensation packages above ₹1 crore, and those numbers are not indicative of the wider industry. In fact, for professionals working at mass-market IT employers, the average salary for 7-9 years of experience still hovers around ₹15 lakh per annum—underscoring the disparity between elite and mass-market employers.

Others shared more nuanced salary bands, suggesting that for professionals with 4-5 years of experience, compensation can reach Rs 80 lakh in select firms, rising to ₹1.3-1.4 crore for those with 7-8 years, and potentially touching ₹2.2 crore for professionals with over a decade of experience—again, primarily in top-tier firms.

The discussion illustrates the rapidly evolving and increasingly stratified nature of India’s tech salary landscape. While ₹1 crore may be within reach for a growing number of elite professionals, it remains far from a universal benchmark.