Chennai: HCLTech’s 50th anniversary celebrations in Chennai took an unexpected turn when employees interrupted CEO C Vijayakumar’s address with chants of “We want a hike”, drawing nationwide attention to salary concerns in India’s information technology sector.
A video of the incident has gone viral on social media, showing Vijayakumar greeting employees with “Vanakkam, Chennai” before the audience began demanding salary hikes. The event, organised to mark the company’s milestone anniversary, also featured cultural performances and employee engagement activities.
Viral moment sparks salary debate
While many online users viewed the chants as a light-hearted expression of employee frustration, the incident has reignited discussions about delayed appraisals, modest salary increases and compensation trends across India’s $315 billion IT services industry.
Employees in several leading IT firms have experienced smaller pay hikes and uncertain appraisal cycles as companies grapple with slower technology spending, global economic uncertainty and the growing shift towards AI-driven services.
HCLTech has not yet announced a timeline for salary revisions for the current financial year, adding to employee concerns.
CEO remains highest-paid in India’s IT sector
The incident has also brought renewed attention to executive compensation at HCLTech. According to the company’s FY26 annual report, CEO C Vijayakumar received a total remuneration of $18.3 million (around ₹177 crore), a nearly 67% increase over the previous year.
He remains the highest-paid CEO among India’s leading IT services companies for the third consecutive year. His remuneration was more than twice that of Infosys CEO Salil Parekh, over six times that of TCS CEO K Krithivasan and more than three-and-a-half times that of Wipro CEO Srini Pallia.
The report further stated that Vijayakumar’s remuneration was 291.9 times the median salary of HCLTech’s global employees. During FY26, the company’s median employee remuneration increased 5.4%, while the average salary increase for employees excluding managerial personnel stood at 2.9%.
Company yet to respond
HCLTech has not officially responded to the viral video or announced a schedule for employee salary hikes. The company reported June-quarter revenue of $3.6 billion, reflecting a 0.9% sequential decline but a 3% year-on-year increase.