Definitely not what I see. Talking about salary among Americans is moderately taboo; among the Russians I know, it's a perfectly natural subject of conversation

Definitely not what I see. Talking about salary among Americans is moderately taboo; among the Russians I know, it's a perfectly natural subject of conversation. It always feels weird to me because I mostly grew up in the US, but I definitely think the Russian approach is better: you get a real idea of what different companies and specialities can pay, and you'll know if people are trying to underpay you.