Shark Tank India judge and Shaadi.com founder Anupam Mittal triggered a heated debate on X after questioning the widely cited “35 percent salary increment” benchmark during job negotiations.
In a post on Monday, Mittal mimicked a typical hiring conversation: “When can you join? In one month. Salary? 35 percent increment? Why 35 percent? It’s standard, Sir.”
He followed it up with a blunt retort: “WTF? Ye standard kisne banaya (Who set these standards)?”
The post quickly went viral, drawing sharp reactions from users. While some agreed with Mittal’s critique of arbitrary salary expectations, others defended the 35 percent figure as a fair ask in today’s job market.
‘Market decides, not you’
Responding to the backlash, Mittal clarified that his issue wasn’t with salary negotiations per se, but with the sense of entitlement attached to a fixed percentage.
“The point that most of you geniuses missed is that there is an entitlement to some arbitrary standard. If a role deserves it, one should demand even 2x, why just 35 percent? Ultimately, the market decides,” he wrote.
When one user asked why candidates shouldn’t ask for higher increments just as founders seek higher equity, Mittal replied: “They can ask for sure, but the market will determine what they get, no?”
He further added, “It should be a function of being paid in line with the role. Whether that’s 10 percent, 35 percent or 100 percent. Ultimately, market decides your value, not you. So idea should be to maximise capability. But one cannot ask for 35 percent coz it’s a ‘standard’. For me, that’s a reject right away.”
Divided opionions online
The post sparked a flurry of responses. Some users argued that even a 35 percent hike is modest in today’s competitive market, while others echoed Mittal’s sentiment, calling for a more nuanced approach based on skills, value addition, and role requirements.
One user quipped, “Sir, from the previous round of valuation, a 35 percent premium is well deserved; that’s VC standard,” drawing a parallel between startup valuations and salary expectations.
Another user noted, “Thirty-five percent is less… It is more than 50 percent these days. Nowadays, candidates are asking for salaries based on skill.” Mittal responded in agreement, stating that “value (increment) should be commensurate with skill.”
Salaries in India to rise 9.2 percent in 2025: Study
Meanwhile, average salary hikes in India were projected to stabilise at 9.2 percent in 2025, marginally lower than the 9.3 percent recorded in 2024, global professional services firm Aon plc had stated earlier this year.
The firm’s Annual Salary Increase and Turnover Survey 2024-25, which analysed data from over 1,400 companies across 45 industries, noted that while global uncertainty and softening growth persist, India remains on a stable growth trajectory.
Declining increments since 2022
The report highlighted a steady decline in salary increments since 2022, when companies offered an average 10.6 percent hike, driven by the post-pandemic hiring frenzy and the Great Resignation. Since then, increment levels have gradually cooled, reflecting a more cautious and calibrated approach by employers.
Attrition rates falling
The survey also pointed to a decline in attrition, with the overall rate dropping to 17.7 percent in 2024, down from 18.7 percent in 2023 and 21.4 percent in 2022. The trend suggests that the talent churn triggered by the pandemic has eased, and a larger pool of available talent is now stabilising the job market.
Aon’s findings indicate that while salary growth remains robust by global standards, Indian employers are increasingly aligning pay hikes with performance and market realities, moving away from the aggressive compensation strategies seen in the immediate aftermath of the pandemic.