I think it depends. In a high-demand field, applicants will have their pick of jobs. The applicant has more leverage than the company, and it's reasonable for the company to want to know if they are even able going to be able to recruit you. In a high-supply field, the practice is exploitative. Companies should let their employees know what their salary is from the outset. Luckily, most companies have fixed wages for low-level employees and are generally upfront about what those wages are. Your experience seems to suggest that you are in a high-demand field. If you're in a position to demand a ludicrous salary any time you're forced to answer the salary question first, then that doesn't sound like a monopoly to me.