Zomato's Bizarre Job Posting Sparks Debate: CEO Deepinder Goyal Clarifies

Mumbai (November 22, 2024) - In a viral social media trend, Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal recently announced a Chief of Staff job role under unusual conditions. The posting attracted widespread attention, with many entrepreneurs expressing interest in applying for the position.

According to reports, the posting required selected candidates to pay a fee of Rs 20 lakh, which would be used by Feeding India, Zomato's non-profit initiative. However, this condition sparked debate among social media users, who labeled it as "bizarre." Some entrepreneurs even suggested that the amount could be better utilized as an investment in starting their own business.

Reacting to the criticism, Arjun Singh, co-founder of Gully Labs sneakers, stated, "Take that Rs 20 lakh and instead take a shot at starting your own biz. One year later, you get more value than all the alternatives regardless."

Meanwhile, Neil Mukti, a Bengaluru-based man, proposed starting a fashion business with Rs 20 lakh. He offered to help entrepreneurs with branding, packaging, product strategy, and Meta Algo scaling.

Other social media users, including angel investor Tanveer Sure, expressed similar sentiments, suggesting that investing in Zomato stock would yield more returns than the Chief of Staff position.

Clarifying the situation, Mr Goyal recently spoke on X, stating that the company never intended to charge Rs 20 lakh for the Chief of Staff position. He emphasized that the practice of paying companies for job opportunities should not become a widespread trend.

"We are going to reject most of the applications who have money or even talked about the money," he said. "Instead, we will find genuine intent and a learning mindset from the sea of applications we have received."

The company plans to review the applications over the next week and reach out to those deemed suitable for the organization.

As the matter continues to gain attention on social media, one thing is clear: Zomato's Chief of Staff posting has sparked an interesting debate about entrepreneurship, investing, and job opportunities.