Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal has shared an update on the company’s ongoing search for Chief of Staff candidates. He revealed that after vetting over 18,000 applications, the company offered jobs to 30 individuals, and 18 have already joined Zomato and its sister concerns, including Blinkit.
“These are exceptional people-founders who bootstrapped startups, engineers who rewrote entire tech stacks over a weekend, operators who turned chaos into scale, and fresh graduates with sharp minds,” Mr Goyal wrote on LinkedIn.
He said the selection process focused on finding individuals with a long-term mindset – those who understand “compounding impact” and were committed to building for the future. Of the 18 who joined so far, four work directly with Mr Goyal, and two hold Chief of Staff roles.
Mr Goyal also addressed concerns about the applicants who were supposed to pay Rs 20 lakh upfront for consideration. He clarified that none of the selected candidates had to pay anything, saying, “They’re being handsomely compensated for the value they bring, and nobody paid anything to work with us.”
In November 2024, the unusual job listing sparked controversy, and Mr Goyal had to explain that the Rs 20 lakh clause was merely a filter to identify candidates who valued fast-track career opportunities without being deterred by constraints.
“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,” he wrote.
He further clarified that Zomato had no intention of actually charging anyone and that the company would reject most applications from those who even mentioned the money.
Deepinder Goyal also announced a new job opening for candidates who use artificial intelligence as their “second brain.” He invited interested candidates to apply with the subject line: “I have a second brain.”
