A video from HCLTech’s 50th anniversary celebrations in Chennai surfaced all over social media, capturing an unexpected moment that has reignited a nationwide conversation on compensation in India’s $315 billion IT sector. As tech giant CEO C Vijayakumar took the stage and greeted the audience with “Vanakkam, Chennai,” hundreds of employees interrupted his opening remarks with loud chants of “We want a hike.”
The incident, which took place during a golden jubilee event featuring live performances and employee engagement activities, briefly turned awkward. Instead of applause and good slogans that are usually used for senior leadership, the employees voiced their frustration over pay.
Despite the vocal interruption, Vijayakumar remained composed, smiling and acknowledging the crowd before continuing his speech without directly addressing the demands. The event then proceeded as scheduled.
Spark Debate On Social Media
The clip has spread rapidly across platforms like X and LinkedIn, drawing mixed reactions.
While some users praised the employees for openly expressing the sentiments of many in the IT industry, others viewed the public demand as embarrassing.
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HCL Haven’t Announced Salary Hike Timeline
The situation underscores growing uncertainty among IT professionals–especially when the sector is going through a lot of restructuring due to the advancement of AI and its application.
HCLTech has yet to announce a timeline for salary hikes for the current fiscal year, a departure from the annual compensation revisions employees traditionally expect. This moment has now become a broader discussion on appraisal cycles, employee satisfaction, and workplace culture across the industry.
Vijaykumar Payment
For the third consecutive year, C Vijayakumar stands as the highest-paid CEO in India's top IT services sector, with his total FY26 compensation increasing by nearly 67% to $18.3 million (approx. Rs 177 crore). Financially, HCLTech reported a June-quarter revenue of $3.6 billion, marking a 3% year-on-year increase but a 0.9% sequential decline. In constant-currency terms, the company saw a 2.6% year-on-year growth, though revenue dipped 0.5% quarter-on-quarter.