Archive · 2 Feb 2026
Founder Exposes Inflated CTC Practices in Job Offers
A start-up founder, Sahil Thakur, shared a story about a job offer his student received.
The offer had an annual CTC of ₹18 LPA, but most of that amount was not guaranteed.
The base salary was only ₹6 LPA, with the rest being performance bonuses, retention bonuses, and ESOPs that might never materialize.
Thakur advised job seekers to always ask for a breakup of their compensation and compare what actually hits their bank account.
Many professionals shared similar experiences online, highlighting the importance of understanding the details of job offers.
A start-up founder revealed that a job offer with an annual CTC of ₹18 LPA had a base salary of only ₹6 LPA.
The remaining ₹12 LPA was composed of conditional bonuses and ESOPs that might never be realized.
Performance bonuses were structured so that only about 10% of employees could achieve them.
Retention bonuses were payable only after 2 years, and most employees quit before then.
ESOPs were valued at the company’s current funding round and would be worthless if the company did not exit or go public.
- Who
- Sahil Thakur, founder of BlockseBlock, and his student who received a job offer
- What
- A job offer with an inflated CTC of ₹18 LPA, with most of the amount being conditional
- When
- Recently, as shared by Sahil Thakur on LinkedIn
- Where
- Mumbai-based start-up
- Why
- To make job offers appear more lucrative than they actually are
- Annual CTC Offered
- ₹18 LPA
- Base Salary
- ₹6 LPA
- Performance Bonus
- ₹4 LPA (10% achievement rate)
- Retention Bonus
- ₹3 LPA (payable after 2 years)
- ESOPs
- ₹5 LPA (value depends on company exit or IPO)
