Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) CEO K. Krithivasan took home a compensation of ₹26.5 crore for FY25, up 4.6% from the last fiscal year, as per the organization's most recent annual report.
His pay package comprised a basic salary of ₹1.39 crore, allowances and benefits worth ₹2.12 crore, and a performance-linked commission worth ₹23 crore.
But this massive compensation package has raised eyebrows across the internet, with most citing the glaring contrast between top executive remuneration and base-level staff. Krithivasan's earnings were determined to be 329.8 times higher than the median TCS employee.
Sharing his concern on social media platform X, user Praveen Chakravarty wrote:
"TCS CEO salary: Rs 35 cr; Top 5 management: Rs 40 cr; Avg staff: Rs 15 lakh. If top 100 took modest pay reductions, it will save 12,000 jobs. Their lives won't be awful at Rs 2.5 cr salary vs Rs 3 cr. For 12,000 families, lives will be wretched at 0 salary vs Rs 15 lakh. AI is real; mass redundancies must not be."
Krithivasan was not alone in attracting limelight for a hefty paycheck. Retired COO and Executive Director NG Subramaniam, who stepped down in May 2024, got ₹11.55 crore. His compensation included a basic salary of ₹30 lakh, perks valued at ₹7.24 crore, and a commission of ₹4 crore.
Among the non-executive board members, Hanne Sorensen and Pradeep Kumar Khosla both received ₹2.74 crore and independent director Keki Mistry received ₹3.06 crore, primarily from commissions (₹3 crore) and sitting fees (₹5.7 lakh).
TCS Chairman N Chandrasekaran, on the other hand, was paid a modest ₹2.1 lakh in sitting fees and did not have any commission.
These numbers arrive as TCS—India's largest IT services firm—is set to lay off about 2% of its worldwide workforce, equal to about 12,261 employees. The company has indicated the layoffs are not aimed at cost-cutting or automation, but rather an operational change that demands newer skill sets. Most of the employees to be laid off are reported to be mid- to senior-level personnel.
The layoffs come as the company steps up investments in artificial intelligence and emerging technologies into new forms that reshape IT services' landscape and prompt shifting talent demands.
As the tech industry undergoes rapid transformation, the growing chasm between the lavish executive compensation and the security of employees has become an intense point of public and professional scrutiny.
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