Software developer with 1 year experience offered ₹25L, bonuses, daily Zomato credits, ₹20 lakh ESOP; sparks debate

A job advertisement offering an annual salary of ₹25 lakh for a software developer with just one year of experience has gone viral on social media, triggering a debate around pay structures in India’s technology sector.

The listing, for a Software Development Engineer (SDE 1) role based in Bengaluru, mentions a base salary of ₹25 lakh per year. It also includes employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs) worth ₹20 lakh, vested over four years. In addition, the role offers a 10% performance bonus and relocation and signing bonuses amounting to ₹5 lakh, taking the total first-year compensation to around ₹35 lakh.

The post drew further attention due to the benefits on offer. These include reimbursements for gym, phone and WiFi bills, a work-from-home setup allowance of ₹21,000, a new mobile phone every three years and daily Zomato credits worth ₹600.

The job advertisement was first shared on LinkedIn before spreading to X, where it quickly gained traction.

X user @mainbhiengineer shared the post, writing, “At one side layoffs are happening and other side companies are offering such high salaries for 1 year experience.”

“And the fun part is that same company would be paying lesser to 5-8yrs experience employee already working with them. Salary structure is completely broken in tech,” the user added.

Other users also weighed in on the discussion. “This hurts because people who stayed loyal and grew with the company feel invisible. New hires get market rates, old employees get annual hikes,” one user wrote.

Another user advised jobseekers to stay agile in a competitive market, saying, “This is very much reality of current market, the thing is you need to understand which tech is hottest/has more potential to get max money and you need to acquire proficiency in it, then put across yourself to your current org your worth, if they don’t agree switch immediately.”