‘Hope pay-to-get-job doesn’t become norm’: Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal clarifies intent behind Rs 20-lakh chief-of-staff listing

Sharing a screenshot of his conversation with a user on X, Goyal reiterated that charging ₹20 lakh “was never part of the plan.” In the conversation, he said “…we will not eventually ask for 20 lacs (sic), and pay the right person anyway”.

He added that he plans on rejecting most applications that focus on money. “We are going to reject most of the applications from people who have money or even talked about the money. We are going to find genuine intent and a learning mindset from the sea of applications we have received,” he said.

Asserting that “money is an essential thing to keep people’s lives running,” Goyal said, “I believe in paying more than market rate so that money doesn’t come in the way of great work.” He also mentioned that the company would review applications over the next week and reach out to the candidates they believe are the right fit for the organisation.

In a post on X, Goyal had on Wednesday announced a job listing for his  “Chief of Staff”, with a job description that read: “Anything and everything to build the future of Zomato (including Blinkit, District, Hyperpure, and Feeding India).” He said that the role would offer “10x more learnings than a two-year degree from a top management school, working with me and some of the smartest folks in consumer tech.” However, Goyal clarified that “this role is not a conventional role with the usual perks that such jobs come with.”

On salary details, Goyal said, “There is no salary for this role for the first year. You will have to, in fact, pay ₹20 lakh for this opportunity. 100% of this ‘fee’ will be paid in the form of a donation directly to Feeding India (if you are offered the role and you accept it).”

“At our end, we want to demonstrate that we are not trying to save money here – we will contribute Rs 50 lakh (equivalent to a Chief of Staff’s salary) to a charity of your choice,” Goyal said, adding, “We will start paying you the usual salary (definitely more than Rs 50 lakh) but something we will only talk about at the start of Year 2.”

Goyal urged applicants to apply only for the “learning opportunity it presents, rather than for a fancy, well-paying job which will make you look cool in front of yourself or the people you want to impress.”

The post drew criticism online, with some drawing comparisons with the colonial and zamindari eras.