Title Increase and Pay Decrease

This the best one I had recently. Salary range discussed with recruiter for Staff Software Engineer was $185k-$200k + equity. After the interviews they say they want to move forward but not at the Staff level, they think I should be a Principal instead...fine. Salary offer? $165k.

If you read between the lines this is really bad for both of us for many reasons. One, they lied. Two, if I join at a higher title it's harder to get a promotion, thus I'll be stuck at the lower pay for longer which will make me want to leave. Ultimately, you should be gunning for the lowest title with the highest pay, this gives you the most room for growth. Also, companies should want to hire people and help them succeed not set them up for failure before they are even in the door.

Obviously, I turned it down with much snark and said thanks for wasting our time.