Met with the CEO and another high-level person, and it was a great conversation. The problem centered on the HR/ hiring rep. She gave me a verbal offer of a certain number, then called me a day later to ask what I was making at my current employer. I was taken aback, and rather than declining to answer, I told her a certain number. The written offer later came in at the number I cited her, which was $10K lower than what the verbal offer was. The verbal offer number was within the range that they cited me in the screening call. The CEO was not sympathetic to this issue. While asking for past salary history is not illegal in Texas, it is in other states, and at the very least is highly unethical.