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Get a job offer with a $hard_salary_number. Tell your boss you got an offer with another company, but would consider staying for $hard_salary_number * 1.15. If not, leave and go work with your old friend.

If you actually just want the new job, no reason to stay. But if you really really really like your current job, it doesn't hurt to get the new offer and then ask for a raise. If the raise doesn't happen, leave.

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A lot of people I worked for, if you gave then an ultimatum like this they'd tell you to leave. Better to frame the discussion around the value you bring to the company, and generic market rates, than having an offer. I've lost key members of teams, people who were not replaceable by anyone currently at the company, who tried the other job offer thing

It's a matter of framing the ultimatum correctly--explain that you've got an offer, and though you really would prefer to stay, you don't see how you can pass this up. Say thanks and let them know when your last day will be--they'll either come up with the idea to make a counter offer on their own, or they won't and a raise wasn't in the cards.

For this to work, however, you do have to be willing to actually leave. If you really just want a raise, better to just ask for it--you can use the offer to explain what salaries for someone with your experience/skills are.

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