"Samsung Electronics and SK hynix were where the underachievers went" — Hyundai Motor Company employee's sense of deprivation sparks debate

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[Financial News]   As the semiconductor industry enjoys a strong upturn and Samsung Electronics and SK hynix employees are expected to receive record-high bonuses, a post by a Hyundai Motor Company employee expressing relative deprivation has triggered a heated online debate.
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On the 17th, an anonymous post titled "I think life is 99% luck" was uploaded to Blind, an online community for office workers.
The author, identified as A and said to be a Hyundai Motor Company employee, began the post by saying, "When I joined the company, Hyundai Motor Company was naturally the top choice, and Samsung Electronics was just where people who were not good at studying went to get a major-company title."
"No. 1" is an esports term used when the team ranked first in a regular league is so overwhelmingly strong that it runs away with the top spot.
A added, "SK hynix was also a place that junior college graduates usually went to, so I assumed they must have studied less than Meister high school graduates," and trailed off, saying, "But the fact that they can earn more than Hyundai Motor Company employees even if we work our whole lives for bonuses is really..."
He continued, "It feels like the common sense I knew has completely gone wrong. It is not even a feeling of envy. It just seems like the whole country is moving in a strange direction," adding, "I am afraid of how this storm will end."
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Workers from different industries shared their views in the comments. In particular, reactions from Hyundai Motor Company employees drew attention.
Some agreed with A, saying, "In the end, life is heavily influenced by luck and timing," while others cautioned against excessive comparisons, noting, "Hyundai Motor Company is still an enviable workplace."
One Hyundai Motor Company employee mocked the situation, saying, "They are not getting paid because they worked harder. Hyundai Motor Company employees worked harder. We barely hired anyone, while SK hynix and Samsung Electronics hired in large numbers every year and anyone could get in." Another employee dismissed the semiconductor industry, saying it had "benefited greatly from the AI era."
There were also voices urging people to stop putting others down.
Another user, who also identified as being with Hyundai Motor Company, wrote, "If you start comparing, there is no end. We just need to do well in our own place."
Employees in the semiconductor industry, including Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, also shared their opinions.
An SK hynix employee said, "Twenty years ago, public corporations and elementary school teachers were the most popular jobs," adding, "In the end, what matters is how well each person builds their own path."
A user believed to be a Samsung Electronics employee also expressed discomfort, saying, "Back in our day, Hyundai Motor Company was on the decline, so if you were going to choose Hyundai Motor Company, it was Samsung Electronics or SK hynix instead. I came here because I wanted to work in semiconductors, so I never even looked at Hyundai Motor Company. Why would you write something like this?"
Meanwhile, the semiconductor industry posted record-breaking results, driven by surging demand for AI semiconductors.
SK hynix paid employees an average bonus of 150 million won earlier this year, equivalent to 2,964% of base pay, and some forecasts suggest each worker could receive 600 million to 700 million won next year.
Samsung Electronics' semiconductor division is also expected to post strong results. The labor union has demanded bonuses equal to 15% of operating income, estimated at 45 trillion won, and has threatened a strike. If 45 trillion won is divided among semiconductor executives and employees, the average bonus per person comes to nearly 600 million won.
y27k@fnnews.com Seo Yoon-kyung Reporter