A Bengaluru techie has offered a piece of advice to employees, saying they should choose a modest paycheck at a big company rather than join a small firm A Bengaluru-based techie has offered a polarising piece of advice to salaried employees, saying they should choose a modest paycheck at a big company rather than join a small firm — even if it comes with a sizable pay hike.A man who quit his MNC job to join a small firm ended up regretting his decision. (Representational image/Gemini AI generated)Sunny Kumar shared this piece of advice in an Instagram video, citing the uncertain job market as one of the reasons. Kumar gave the example of a friend who switched from a comfortable MNC to a small consultancy, lured by the promise of a 60% salary hike. However, he was soon laid off by the small company, leaving him jobless.“Less salary in big company”In his video titled “Less salary in a big company better than high salary in a small company,” the Bengaluru-based techie explained the rationale behind his piece of advice.“One of my friends was working at MasterCard Pune. He had a good salary, a good work profile. Everything was good for him,” said Kumar.“And then one fine day, he got an offer letter from a small company, a consultancy. They offered him a 60% hike on his CTC,” the techie explained.Kumar acknowledged that it can be tough to refuse a 60% hike even as he advised his viewers to do just that. He revealed that his friend left MasterCard and joined the small consultancy. However, just six months into his new job, the consultancy lost the project for which they had hired him. The friend was asked to resign or be fired.According to Kumar, his friend was ultimately fired from the small consultancy that had hired him with a 60% raise.Using this example, Kumar advised all employees to stay put at their big companies, even at the cost of salary.“If you are working in a stable job, good salary, good company, then I would really suggest even if you are getting 60-70%, even 100% hike — at least for six month to one year, don’t switch. The IT sector is really volatile these days,” he concluded.Advice divides opinionThe video divided opinion on Instagram, where it has collected thousands of views. Some people pointed out how a big company is no guarantee against layoffs.“No company is safe.. got laid off from HSBC on June 15th,” wrote one person in the comments section.“What if he was laid off from MasterCard too... Because nowadays big companies are doing too much restructuring,” another agreed.“You can get fired from a big company and a small company. The difference is that one paid you 60% more while you were there,” a user added.“It is not about Small or Big Companies. Even some of the biggest companies are doing layoffs. In short.. avoid SaaS companies. Second, do a thorough analysis of the company, their global head count, India headcount, total revenue, net profit, their future plans, AI investment, a lot of things needs to be checked these days.. feel free to follow or DM in case anyone needs any tips,” one user advised.Sanya Jain is an Assistant Editor with Hindustan Times Digital. She has nearly a decade of experience in covering offbeat stories that speak to the everyday experience - from viral videos to human interest copies that spark conversation. Her interests stretch across business, pop culture, social media trends, entertainment and global affairs.