They're certainly setting themselves up for letting someone get their feet under the table, have everything set up so that they're indispensable, and then turni

They're certainly setting themselves up for letting someone get their feet under the table, have everything set up so that they're indispensable, and then turning round and saying, "So, NOW let's talk about that salary." Which is probably exactly what anyone with the kind of brains and experience they're asking for is going to do.