- Founder of Algorithm Health rejected a candidate demanding Rs 16 lakh per annum salary
- Candidate had 4 years experience, current salary was Rs 7.2 lakh per annum
- Founder claimed market average salary aligns closer to Rs 7.2 lakh than Rs 16 lakh
A founder of a MedTech startup is facing intense backlash from social media users after posting about a recent hiring process where he rejected a candidate based on their honest cost-to-company (CTC) expectation. In an X (formerly Twitter) post, Sumanth Raman, the founder of Algorithm Health, claimed that he interviewed a techie for a job opening, but the conversation quickly ended after the candidate demanded Rs 16 lakh per annum (LPA) as the compensation package.
Raman detailed that the candidate with four years of experience was currently earning Rs 7.2 lakh per year but demanded a significant hike.
"Interviewed a candidate for a techie opening yesterday. CTC for the candidate with four years of experience in the current company is 7.2 LPA," Raman wrote, adding: "Asked what the expectation was. Candidate says 16 lakh. I said that's more than double current CTC."
Raman, who has previously worked for nearly 20 years at TCS, said he was feeling 'out of touch' with the current generation, owing to the candidate's salary demands.
"Candidate says yes, that's what I want. The conversation ended soon after. Increasingly feeling out of touch with today's generation.
In a subsequent comment, Raman claimed that the market average for a four-year experienced candidate was "more in line with 7.2 than with 16".
Check The Viral Post Here:
Interviewed a candidate for a techie opening yesterday. CTC for the candidate with 4 years experience in current company is 7.2 LPA. Asked what the expectation was.
— Sumanth Raman (@sumanthraman) June 2, 2026
Candidate says 16 lakh. I said that's more than double current CTC. Candidate says yes that's what I want.…
'Current CTC Doesn't Matter'
Instead of finding sympathy, Raman's post backfired. Social media users fiercely criticised the entrepreneur for penalising a professional's transparency and honesty about market value. Others questioned Raman for tying the job offer to the candidate's current salary. They argued that compensation should reflect a candidate's skills and the role's value, rather than their previous CTC.
"Only in India is your previous CTC a factor in the next job. You pay whatever the market demand is for that position. You're the one that is out of touch here, uncle," said one user while another added: "This is not a problem with Sumanth, but with corporate India as a whole. What the person was getting before is irrelevant. Put what you're paying in the job description, make that clear, and offer them whatever you were intending to pay! That is basic decency. Don't be cheap.'
A third commented: "You interviewed a person without knowing if their expected salary meets the budget for the position and you're trying to make it sound like today's generation problem instead of your unprofessional hiring process that is wasting everyone's time."
A fourth said: "Current. CTC. Does. Not. Matter. F***ing tired of telling people. Should be made illegal to ask. Have even had to tell candidates I'm interviewing to not tell me theirs when I ask for expectations."
