[Updated] Zomato cofounder and CEO Deepinder Goyal issued a clarification regarding the company’s job listing for a chief of staff position, which received criticism for requiring applicants to pay INR 20 lakh. Goyal stated that the company received 18,000 applications for the post and that the requirement was merely a “filter” to find the right candidates.

“As some people pointed out, the ‘you have to pay us 20 lacs’ was merely a filter, to find people who had the power to appreciate the opportunity of a fast track career, without getting bogged down by the constraints in front of them,” said Goyal. He also clarified that charging the fees was “never part of the plan” and that the company will not ask selected candidates to pay the amount.

[Original] Zomato‘s cofounder and CEO, Deepinder Goyal, recently posted an unusual job listing for a chief of staff position. The post went viral, sparking intense debate.

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According to the listing, the selected candidate would receive no salary for the first year but instead pay INR 20 lakh. The fee would be donated to Zomato’s Feeding India initiative. Goyal stated, “We believe that people who apply for this role should do it for the learning opportunity it presents, rather than for a fancy well-paying job… Think of this as a fast-track learning program.”

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The job requirements include “common sense, communication skills, empathy, and not a lot of experience.” The selected person would oversee “anything and everything to build the future of Zomato.” Starting from the second year, the chief of staff would receive a salary exceeding INR 50 lakh.

Netizens react

Reactions varied, with some praising the innovative approach and others criticising the terms. Amit Sachdev, Tata iQ’s chief people officer, said, “The job posting appears to be a really ‘maverick’ way to find the right mindset candidate.” Emmanuel David, Aster DM Healthcare’s independent director, termed it an “alternative MBA.”

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However, many users expressed concerns about the job listing excluding applicants who cannot afford the INR 20 lakh fee, effectively narrowing the pool to a specific socioeconomic class. Others slammed the Indian startup founders’ “obsession with the demand for free labour” and drew attention to potential labour law violations.

Further, Deepak Shenoy, founder and CEO of CapitalMind, said, “… Not a fan of underpaying young people, or of taking money from them for a job. I used to get offers from people willing to pay us to give them a job, in 2001. Didn’t do it then. Hunger is a driver, but it shouldn’t be the consequence.”

Some users highlighted that banks are unlikely to finance this job role, unlike traditional educational courses. There were also concerns about potential violations of labour laws, such as the Payment of Wages Act, Minimum Wages Act, and Industrial Disputes Act. Many noted that not paying an employee for a year while charging fees could lead to criminal charges, legal actions, and heavy penalties for unfair employment practices.

Nihar Ghosh, former CHRO of Emami Group, added, “Goyal has a good sense of humour. I think more than a job post, it’s a joke and nothing less than that. This, I personally think, is crude and in bad taste.”

Goyal clarified that Zomato is not trying to save money and will contribute NR 50 lakh to the selected person’s chosen charity.