I have recently been in the job market (I work in software development), and have been offered a new position with a 50% pay increase. I have been at my current organization for 5 years, and have been an employee since the company was founded. My new role would be at a much larger organization.

My reasons for leaving are:

• Boredom
• Career progression
• A desire to broaden my horizons and try something new
• Dissatisfaction with leadership style and direction (though I have no personal issues with anyone at my current organization)
• Broken promises (more on that in a moment)

Upon handing in my resignation, within 15 mins the directors came back and instantly matched the salary I had been offered elsewhere (albeit making the difference up as a 'guaranteed' annual bonus). They also offered me significant equity in the company, with an indication that they will be looking to sell the company in the coming years.

This has caught my attention, primarily because I was not expecting them to match the 50% pay increase, and also because the promise of equity has been made to me on a number of occasions in the past, but I am still waiting to see the paperwork after nearly 3 years.

Everything here seems too good to be true; I have read all the usual stories about why counter offers are bad, but in this instance I'm getting my new salary matched, and on the face of it an opportunity to earn a life changing sum of money in the not too distant future.

Does any of this ring alarm bells for anyone?