‘Applications closed. We will interview those...’: Deepinder Goyal shares major update on ‘chief of staff’ role

Deepinder Goyal has shared another update about the ongoing zero-salary job row over role of the ‘Chief of Staff’ at Zomato. In his latest update, the Zomato CEO said that the condition was only imposed as a filter to reach the best candidates for the role. 

In a post on X, he wrote, “We have closed applications for my chief of staff role. We have received more than 18,000 applications. We will go through these applications over the next week, and reach out to the people who we think are the right fit for an organisation. We want to build a learning organisation, and we now know thousands of people who exhibit their hunger for learning and constant improvement, over short-term constraints and their current reality of life. 

"This wasn’t just another hiring post. 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. We are going to reject most of the applications who have the money, or even talked about the money. We are going to find genuine intent and learning mindset from the sea of applications we have received," he added.

In another update, Goyal had listed the types of people who have applied for the position. He said the applicants include people who have all the money, those who have some of the money, those who say they don’t have the money and those who really don’t have the money. 

His first post on the job role has sparked debates on social media with some praising the number of applications as evidence of the role’s allure, while others question its accessibility due to the financial barrier. Critics argue that the Rs 20 lakh requirement excludes talented individuals without financial privilege, whereas supporters believe the response reflects the appeal of learning from Goyal and contributing to Zomato's projects like Blinkit, Feeding India, and Hyperpure. 

With a polarising debate and a massive number of applicants, this hiring process is now one of the most talked-about event in corporate history.