A tech employee recently discovered a jaw-dropping pay gap between them and a colleague with the same title and similar experience. While they earn $60,000 a year, their coworker, “John,” makes $115,000. The two work at a large tech company, and the disparity sparked a flood of advice and opinion on Reddit.
A Merger, A Staffing Agency And Two Very Different Paychecks
The original poster explained that they lead two teams—including one that the poster built from scratch—while John is just a member of one. They have been at the company for two years; John has been there for three. The key difference is that John came from a startup that was acquired by the tech giant, keeping his original salary intact. The poster, on the other hand, was hired post-merger through a staffing agency.
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“He was hired as part of a startup that was bought by this tech company,” OP wrote. “As such, his higher pay carried over after the merge. I was hired after the merge through a staffing agency.”
OP later updated the post to add: “I found out today that the company is trying very hard to find a reason to get rid of John, which is at least partially because he makes so much. Maybe our pay difference was for the best lol!”
This revelation added a surprising twist to the situation. While OP may be underpaid, John’s inflated salary appears to have made him a target. Many companies are always looking for ways to cut costs. If they think someone is overpaid and replaceable, some start building a case to get rid of them.
What started as a frustrating realization for OP might ultimately end in job loss for John. The title of “highest-paid peer” can sometimes come with a bullseye.
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Get An Offer, Be Ready To Leave
Commenters were quick to point out a harsh truth: negotiating power is everything.
“Apply to another job and get an offer. Use that offer to negotiate higher pay at your current job. Then—maybe—take the new job, it might be time to move in a new direction,” one commenter advised. Another added, “There is no maybe. Take the new job.”
Many echoed the same idea: internal raises tend to be small, and significant jumps usually come by switching employers.
Others cautioned that bringing up John’s name directly in negotiations would be a mistake. “Try to negotiate a raise and don’t bring John up in any way, shape or form,” someone warned. “You now know how high the ceiling is and they don’t know that you know. Use that to your advantage.”
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More Than Merit
Many highlighted how hiring timing and negotiation skills play a bigger role than job performance. John kept a premium salary due to his previous startup role, while OP started at the lower end because of agency involvement and timing.
“60k in tech is low, and that has nothing to do with the ‘pay gap,’ it’s just low, period,” one compensation expert wrote. “You should be looking and interviewing, and the same would be true if you didn’t have a better-paid colleague.”
Some speculated that John's days may be numbered. “If they had someone that they thought was capable of doing John’s job for $60k, they would fire John today and hire that person,” a person foreshadowed what could happen before the post was updated.
The overwhelming consensus is not to count on your company to fix pay discrepancies. Use market research, get external offers, and be willing to leave.
“You’re only as valuable as someone is willing to pay you,” one person summarized.
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