A Reddit post claiming that a Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) employee earns less today than when he joined more than five years ago has gone viral, fuelling a sharp debate on pay growth, performance ratings and career stagnation in India’s IT sector.
The post, shared on the r/developersIndia forum, was written by a Java developer who said he joined TCS in 2020 with a monthly salary of ₹25,000. In 2026, after 5.5 years, his monthly in-hand pay stands at ₹22,800, according to his account.
The numbers alone triggered outrage. Within hours, the post spread across Reddit, LinkedIn and developer communities, with many calling it a stark example of how slow appraisals and rigid performance systems can derail early careers at large IT services firms.
In his post, the employee said he graduated from a tier-three engineering college and initially focused on preparing for government examinations instead of upskilling in IT. He said this resulted in consistently low performance ratings, which he described as C to D bands over multiple appraisal cycles.
The situation worsened in July 2025, when he said he was placed on a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP). While he later moved to a new project and avoided termination, his appraisal was stopped, effectively freezing salary growth.
By January 2026, the employee said he had upskilled as a Java backend developer and began applying for new roles. However, he claimed that HR teams at prospective employers withdrew discussions after reviewing his salary slips, raising concerns about his unusually low pay history.
“I clear interviews, but once HR sees my salary history, discussions stop,” the user wrote, asking the community for advice on how to survive in the industry.
The post drew hundreds of responses. Some users urged him to join early-stage startups to reset his compensation trajectory. Others suggested pursuing an MBA to exit the technical track. Several comments focused on reframing his career story, advising him to foreground recent skills rather than past missteps.
While the claims reflect one individual’s experience and cannot be independently verified, the scale of the reaction points to a wider unease across India’s IT workforce. After years of muted salary hikes, delayed promotions and tighter performance reviews, many professionals fear that falling behind early can permanently cap earnings.
Industry observers note that large IT services firms operate rigid appraisal systems, where prolonged low ratings can have long-term financial consequences, especially for employees who do not switch companies early in their careers.
TCS has not commented on the individual claim. But the episode has already turned an anonymous payslip into a viral flashpoint, capturing the anxieties of a generation of IT workers questioning whether loyalty still pays in India’s tech sector.