This doesn't work if you have several years of experience and senior responsibilities, but are paid significantly less than entry level employees.
It's a catch-22, because getting paid more means being severely demoted.
And this has nothing to do with small companies, there are lots more people working as low paid prostitutes at big, shitty, but obscure companies.
In fact it's your job to get the salary you want, not your company's. The best way to do that is to negotiate up front or leave for a job that will.
Sorry I wasn't clear enough. You shouldn't assume random strangers are in fact passive whiners. My comment was based on my experience demanding an decent salary and then leaving for an even larger raise. I've changed jobs four times since getting my degree.
The problem is your BATNA. You can't get a better deal than what someone thinks yours is. Flat out lying or even misleading someone is bound to come back to bite you in the job market, more than say, buying a car.
Yeah, you might work as a high paid prostitute at a shitty company for a while, but when you leave you'll leave richer than being paid half at a friendly mom and pop shop. But generally I've found the higher paying jobs are usually better anyway.
Today in 2021, $175k-ish seems like a fair number for a mid-senior software job. If you're really good, you should consider $200-220k or higher.