Mostly because they can. Developers don't have a reputation for being hard negotiators. Most won't even do so much as ask for a realistic salary adjustment wh

Mostly because they can. Developers don't have a reputation for being hard negotiators. Most won't even do so much as ask for a realistic salary adjustment when switching positions. Companies are more than happy to use this to their advantage and simply give you a token raise unless you make a point of negotiating yourself something better. As a developer, it's important to realize this and act accordingly. Don't be afraid to tell them that since you're being moved to a position that should pay $X, you'll need them to pay you $X from here on out. Further, you've also identified the key reason that people move from job to job so frequently in this industry. That's how you get raises. You're never going to convince that Fortune 100 company to double your salary twice over the course of your first four years out of school. You'll have absolutely no problem convincing the market at large to do that though.