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Footage from HCLTech's 50th anniversary celebrations in Chennai has gone viral after employees packed into an auditorium were heard chanting "we want hike" the moment CEO C Vijayakumar stepped onto the stage.
The video, shared widely on X (formerly Twitter), shows a crowd erupting into the repeated chant as Vijayakumar arrived to address staff. Vijayakumar was seen ignoring the chants and greeting the audience with "Vanakkam Chennai."
The timing of the protest-in-plain-sight has drawn attention to a stark pay contrast. Vijayakumar drew a total remuneration of $18.13 million (about ₹175 crore) in FY2025-26, marking a steep increase of nearly 66.9 per cent over the previous year, according to the company's annual report. The annual report also revealed that Vijayakumar's remuneration was 291.9 times the median remuneration of HCLTech's global workforce.
The median remuneration of HCLTech employees witnessed an increase of 5.4 per cent during the fiscal year. The disclosure comes at a time when many IT companies continue to adopt cautious salary increment policies amid global economic uncertainty and changing client demand.
While some internet users viewed the moment as humorous, others said it reflected growing concerns around compensation in India's IT sector.
To mark 50 years since its founding in 1976, HCLTech launched a months-long series of golden jubilee celebrations. The festivities began with an Arijit Singh concert in Delhi-NCR in April. The Chennai leg included an exclusive employee event featuring a live concert by Anirudh Ravichander.
The viral clip has sparked discussions on executive remuneration following the disclosure of Vijayakumar's pay package through HCLTech's recent annual report. The episode illustrates how public, employee-facing company events can quickly become forums for collective pay grievances particularly when compensation data is freshly in the news.
