bigbear0310

Ironically she did not make any ask. Basically she laid out the facts about her current comp and a competing offer, but stated that she liked this company more, so she would like to see if they could work together on this or if there's room for negotiation.

Agreed. To me it's a red flag about that company's culture.

She did not reject it. Basically she said "it's lower than my current/other offer, and was wondering if this is something we could work together". It was all polite. She just wondered if there was room for negotiation, and was planning on taking it anyways. I think the employer is being really passive aggressive in that sense.

My friend just wanted to understand if there was room to negotiate. She was going to take it anyways even if they said they couldn't go higher. So are you saying people should not negotiate at all then?

Also.. no phone conversation. No clarifying question. Nothing. Just one email saying they can't go higher. The second email a couple of hours later saying they have to go with someone else.