Samsung posted record profit. An ex-employee went on the record urging others to leave.

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Samsung posted record profit. An ex-employee went on the record urging others to leave.

Published: 09 Apr. 2026, 07:00

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

The entrance to the headquarters of Samsung Electronics in Suwon, Gyeonggi, on April 7 [YONHAP]

Soon after Samsung Electronics reported an estimated record operating profit for the first quarter of the year, an unusual message began circulating inside the company's internal network on Tuesday.

An employee posted a widely read note announcing their plan to leave for competitor Micron and urging their former colleagues to join a planned strike — a sign that even blockbuster earnings may be doing little to ease tensions between management and labor.

The post, titled “I’m moving to Micron,” appeared on an internal company board on Tuesday. By the following morning, it had spread rapidly, drawing 45,000 views and more than 170 comments, according to insiders who spoke to the JoongAng Ilbo.

The author, who said Tuesday was their final day at the company, wrote that they had joined Samsung a year earlier and expected to stay until retirement.

“Samsung’s status as the world’s leading memory chipmaker, along with the superior compensation outlined during recruitment, made me believe that this company would be my lifelong workplace,” the former employee wrote.

“But expectations, as it turns out, are different from reality.”

The author of the post criticized what they described as Samsung’s rigid compensation structure, saying that it offered “pay and benefits that do not meaningfully differ” from other large companies.

“I don’t understand why there is a salary cap,” they wrote. “Whether you work hard or not, compensation is bound by that ceiling. Who would feel motivated under such a system?”

The post struck a sharper tone given the timing. Samsung Electronics had just announced an operating profit of 57.2 trillion won ($38.8 billion) for the quarter, the highest in its history.

“Once you consider these figures, our compensation, treatment and welfare are not very special at all,” the former employee wrote. “It is the workers who created these results. They deserve better pay and better benefits.”

The author of the post went on to encourage their colleagues to participate in a rally scheduled for April 23 and a broader strike planned from May 21 to June 7, adding that they intended to attend the rally if possible.

The episode has underscored a growing paradox as strong earnings become a source of friction rather than cohesion inside Samsung.

The company’s labor union issued a statement urging better compensation and benefits that would match Samsung Electronics’ stature as a “first-tier company.”

It rejected what it called an “unrealistic” promise to distribute special bonuses contingent on attaining 200 trillion won in annual earnings, arguing instead for rewards that reflect the company’s current performance and growth trajectory.

But others in the industry have characterized the union’s demands as tantamount to “throwing cold water on what should be a day of celebration.”

Negotiations between Samsung and its union over compensation are currently stalled.

The company has offered a “special bonus” scheme that would guarantee employees in its memory division compensation on par with or exceeding that of competitors if the company ranks first domestically in revenue and operating profit.

Samsung Electronics employees enter the company's office in Seocho District, southern Seoul, on April 7. [NEWS1]

For units expected to post losses, such as its chip design arm and foundry operations, the company proposed additional incentives tied to improved performance. The company has proposed a package that includes a 6.2 percent wage increase and expanded benefits, including housing support of up to 500 million won.

The union, however, has held firm in its demand to overhaul the bonus system, including removing a cap that limits performance bonuses to 50 percent of base salary.

It plans to hold a rally in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi, on April 23 and, failing an agreement, proceed with a strike from May 21 to June 7.

Kim Yang-paeng, a senior researcher at the Korea Institute for Industrial Economics and Trade, said that while workers’ calls for a share of a strong performance are understandable, companies must also guard against overextending during peak periods.

“In a cyclical industry like semiconductors, management must take care not to exhaust strong earnings in a short period of time,” he said. “The challenge is to maintain a balance between investing for the future and improving workers’ conditions.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY LEE YOUNG-KEUN [[email protected]]