Zomato co-founder and CEO Deepinder Goyal recently created a buzz after announcing a highly unconventional job posting for the role of chief of staff.
Within just 24 hours of sharing the hiring alert, Goyal revealed that Zomato had received over 10,000 applications. The job comes with an unusual twist: instead of a salary, the selected candidate gets Rs. 20 lakh “fee” must be paid, which will be donated to the charity Feeding India, which supports the company.
The announcement received a mixed response. Some saw it as a clever marketing strategy, capitalizing on the social media buzz for publicity, while others, like businessman Harsh Goenka, raised ethical concerns. Goenka argued that Rs. A fee of 20 lakhs may exclude talented but disadvantaged candidates, making the job potentially exploitative. He also questioned the lack of clarity on second-year pay, calling the arrangement “innovative” but raising serious ethical issues.
On Wednesday evening, the Zomato boss announced: “I am looking for a Chief of Staff for me. However, this role is not a traditional role with the usual benefits that come with such jobs. In fact, we are making this job unattractive to most people. There is no salary for this role for the first year. In fact, you have to pay Rs 20 lakh for this opportunity. 100% of this ‘fee’ will be donated directly to Feeding India.”
Also, to show that the company is not trying to save money, Zomato has donated Rs. 50 lakhs (equivalent to the salary of the Chief of Staff) will be contributed.
“After the second year, we will start paying you a normal salary (definitely more than Rs 50 lakh, but something we will talk about at the beginning of year 2 only,” Goyal added.
On the other hand, listing the perks of the job, Zomato’s boss said the chief of staff would get “10 times more education than a 2-year degree from a top management school, working with and some of the “smartest people in consumer technology”.