| I think it is reasonable for you to be compensated according to the skills you have and the performance you demonstrate. I think it's reasonable for everyone with similar skills and performance to be compensated the same. You are moving from a role you have 18 months experience into one where you have much less. Personally, I wouldn't cut your salary immediately, but I would work with you to build a transition plan made up of SMART goals. At the end of the transition period (probably 3-6 months in this case), we would discuss your performance relative to the expectations of the role and level you have transitioned into. If, at that time, you were performing at a level more junior that you are being compensated, I would offer you the option of returning to your former role (assuming we still had a need for someone in that role) or level you down and adjust your compensation accordingly. The CTO was foolhardy in making a blanket promise that you could move "horizontally" without impact to compensation, but the CFO is also overly focussed on what could be a small amount money (2.5-5% of your total salary). I'd suggest that you go back to the CFO and the CTO and propose a transition plan with an eval at the end to determine your level and compensation. You should also ask what the promotion path forward would be like if you transitioned and were leveled down. Will you be stuck there for a long time or will you have a chance at being promoted back up once you have a year of experience? Then you can decide if a possible (presumably short-term) decrease in compensation is a valid investment in your long-term career. "my SE friends and older acquaintances and all of them without exception find it scandalous" Obviously, you need to balance an anonymous voice* on the internets against your friends and acquaintances, but this really isn't that scandalous. Perhaps they've just not experienced it themselves. Actually, the biggest problems you have right now are that the CFO and CTO aren't on the same page and that the CFO is making decisions about compensation for engineers. The CTO (or whoever your direct supervisor is) should be making your compensation decisions based off strategic decisions taken in conjunction with the CFO (and others). *I'm actually the head of engineering at a growing startup, but maybe I'm lying :-D |