Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal revealed on February 5 that the company has filled two chief of staff positions, marking a milestone in a hiring initiative that drew over 18,000 applicants. This update follows months of widespread attention and debate sparked by a controversial job posting that originally asked candidates to pay the company for the opportunity to work.
30 New Recruits Join the Ranks in Zomato
The food and grocery delivery giant’s extensive hiring process involved interviewing 150 candidates, resulting in job offers to 30 individuals.
Of these, 18 have already joined the company in what Goyal describes as “high-impact roles,” with four working directly under his leadership, including the two chief of staff positions.
“All these talented individuals are being handsomely compensated for the value they bring,” Goyal emphasized on X (formerly Twitter), explicitly addressing concerns about the initial controversial requirement that had candidates paying Rs 20 lakh to work at Zomato. The CEO clarified that “nobody paid anything to work with Zomato,” marking a complete reversal from the original proposal.
The successful candidates represent a diverse pool of talent, according to Goyal. “Who are these 30 people?
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Zomato’s Ongoing Search for Top Talent
Founders who bootstrapped startups from their dorm rooms, engineers who rewrote entire tech stacks over a weekend, operators who turned chaos into scale, and a handful of brilliant young minds fresh out of college,” he explained, highlighting the caliber of talent the company has attracted.
The hiring initiative, which began in November 2023, garnered significant attention and criticism when Goyal initially announced that the chief of staff position would come with no salary for the first year and would instead require the selected candidate to pay Rs 20 lakh to Zomato. Following widespread backlash, the company quickly retracted these controversial terms.
Reflecting on the selection process, Goyal emphasized that the company sought candidates who understood the concept of “compounding impact,” which he described as “the most misunderstood mathematical miracle.”
He noted that finding individuals who truly grasp this principle is rare, expressing gratitude for successfully identifying such talent. The hiring process is not yet complete, according to Goyal. The company continues to evaluate applications from the massive talent pool, approaching it as a long-term investment rather than a mere recruitment drive.
“This isn’t just a one-time hiring sprint — it’s a long-term investment in the people who will build the future with us. We’ll keep reaching out to the right folks, slowly but surely,” he stated.
Overcoming Controversy and Attracting Top Talent
This development marks a significant shift from the initial controversy surrounding the position and demonstrates Zomato’s commitment to traditional hiring practices while maintaining high standards for talent acquisition.
The company’s ability to attract over 18,000 applications, despite the initial controversy, suggests strong interest in working with one of India’s leading food delivery platforms.
The successful conclusion of this hiring initiative could serve as a case study of how companies can recover from controversial recruitment strategies while maintaining their ability to attract top talent in the competitive Indian startup ecosystem.
