A Bengaluru software professional’s attempt to clarify salary expectations during a hiring conversation developed into one of the more unusual recruiter exchanges to appear online. What began as a direct enquiry about the pay range for a role shifted into a discussion filled with phrases such as “10x impact” and the claim that companies were seeking “warriors, not employees.”
The interaction, shared on social media platform X by software engineer Yashraj Shukla, showed how his request for pay transparency was deflected with exaggerated corporate language.
When Shukla asked the recruiter about the budgeted salary for the position, he did not receive a numerical answer. Instead, the recruiter responded that compensation would depend on whether the candidate could deliver what he described as “10x impact.” He also implied that bringing up salary at that stage reflected poorly on suitability for the job.
The recruiter elaborated further, writing: “We’re not hiring employees. We’re building a team of warriors. If you’re in, prove it.”
Shukla continued the discussion and replied with a reference to Tesla and SpaceX chief Elon Musk. He asked: “On a scale of E to the Lon, how Musk are you?” The recruiter answered briefly with just the letter “E.”
It was this final exchange that drew widespread attention, with many users online describing it as the highlight of the conversation.
The screenshots circulated widely and prompted a wave of comments. One user remarked: “I’m looking for a company to join, not the army.” Another observed that repeated references to “warriors” perhaps explained why applicants were reluctant to consider such employers.
Several commentators criticised the lack of straightforwardness around pay, with one writing that the insistence on “10x impact” appeared to be a way of avoiding disclosure: “It’s just another way of saying they don’t have money.”
Others questioned whether salaries would match the expectations implied by such language, with remarks such as: “If they want 10x impact, does that mean 10x salary as well?”
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