The 50% hike norm is creating compensation chaos and zero-tenure churn that hurts everyone involved.

The standard expected hike on a lateral move in Indian tech is now 40-60%. That number is decoupled from market value and driven by counter-offer arms races. The result: median tenure at top Indian product companies dropped to 22 months, and senior engineers spend more time interviewing than building. The fix isn't complicated — companies need to pay closer to true market on retention rather than waiting for the resignation. But the org-chart politics of in-role hikes versus headcount budgets makes that hard. Until then, the rational career move for an Indian engineer remains: interview every 18 months and switch.