Yes, my signing bonus is spread out over the first 4 years, so my TC will not go down until at least year 5, by that point I'd expect promotions/bonuses to cove

Yes, my signing bonus is spread out over the first 4 years, so my TC will not go down until at least year 5, by that point I'd expect promotions/bonuses to cover the gap, or more likely I'll have moved on to a different company (nothing against msft, just not trying to stay in one place for too long)