Reddit user says US employers take ‘Indian discount’ and demand tougher coding tests for lower pay

Highlights:

• Reddit user ExistingEffective639 sparked the interview debate.
• Some Indian staff-level candidates report multiple LeetCode hards.
• US interviews are often described as more experience- and design-focused.
• Reddit users have highlighted major India-US compensation gaps.
• Blind discussions point to competition as one reason for tougher screening.

A growing debate across Reddit and workplace forums is putting the spotlight on a striking comparison in technology hiring: India versus the US. Reddit user ExistingEffective639, whose post received more than 1,000 upvotes, argued that Indian engineers, particularly those pursuing senior and staff-level positions, can face more difficult coding interviews than candidates interviewing for comparable roles in the US.

India’s coding bar: “Two hards in 45 minutes”

ExistingEffective639 claimed that staff-level candidates in India can be expected to solve two hard LeetCode problems in 45 minutes. The post also described hiring processes featuring multiple coding rounds but comparatively fewer system-design discussions.

A reported LinkedIn India Staff Software Engineer interview loop documented on LeetCode provides a real-world example of the type of process fueling this perception. The reported loop included six rounds, with multiple DSA-focused interviews and difficult problems including Word Ladder and Minimum Window Substring.

Other workplace discussions echo the experience. On Team Blind, users identified as u/switchZone and u/LarrysSon shared accounts of Indian interviewers asking two LeetCode hard problems in a single round. LarrysSon reportedly contrasted that experience with an interview conducted by a non-Indian interviewer, where the questions were mediums.

However, not everyone believes India is harder across the board. u/tdPR12, identified as working at Infor, argued that interviews for low- and mid-level roles in India can actually be easier, while criticizing other aspects of work culture. u/trashguy, identified with eBay, attributed the tougher bar at top companies partly to the sheer volume of competition for premium technology jobs.

US interviews vs. India: Experience or algorithmic endurance?

The central Reddit argument is that senior US hiring tends to place greater emphasis on professional experience, system design, communication and behavioral skills. Coding remains part of the process, but candidates may encounter more practical or easy-to-medium problems rather than repeated hard-level algorithm questions.

That distinction appeared again in a Blind discussion involving a senior engineer with nine years of experience and roughly $390,000 in total compensation, who asked how staff-level interviews at major technology companies compare between India and the US. Responses broadly suggested that India's coding bar can be higher, while the US process may put relatively more weight on system design and behavioral evaluation.

The broader picture, however, remains highly dependent on company, role and seniority.

The “India discount” makes the debate more explosive

The interview controversy is closely tied to compensation. In an r/leetcode post titled “US Tech Companies and their 'India Discount': My Frustrating Experience in India,” Reddit user u/unlucky_coder, a software engineer with more than five years of experience, described receiving an India-based SDE-2 offer worth roughly $55,000 total compensation from a US company.

The poster argued that the figure remained dramatically below what the company pays for the equivalent role in the US, even after considering purchasing-power differences. The user clarified that they were not demanding Bay Area compensation, but were questioning why the offer could fall below what comparable engineers at major US companies earn.

Meanwhile, an r/developersIndia discussion about moving from India to the US, which attracted more than 1,100 upvotes, broadened the conversation into workplace culture, opportunity and professional mobility.

Another developersIndia thread, “12,000 applied, 450 interviewed, 0 hired, ”highlighted a different problem: extreme applicant volumes and potentially inefficient hiring. Commenters blamed both candidates and employers, with some arguing that AI-assisted applications and others pointing to disorganized recruitment processes were responsible.

Taken together, these discussions suggest that the India-US divide is not simply about who gives harder coding questions. It is also about competition, compensation, hiring efficiency and what companies believe a senior engineer should actually be tested on.

For critics, making experienced staff engineers repeatedly solve obscure algorithms may test interview preparation more than engineering judgment. For employers facing thousands of applicants, however, standardized coding tests can appear to offer an efficient filtering mechanism.

The unresolved question remains: if the job requires system design, leadership and years of experience, should the interview place so much weight on solving LeetCode hards under a stopwatch?