Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal recently drew significant public attention when he shared a job advertisement for a Chief of Staff role under unusual terms. The candidate, according to the ad, was expected to donate Rs 20 lakh to Zomato's not-for-profit initiative Feeding India and work without a salary for one year. Goyal’s announcement, shared on social media, led to widespread criticism and discussions about hiring practices and the ethics of such proposals.
The backlash prompted a variety of responses, including a sarcastic comment from Shaadi.com founder Anupam Mittal. Mittal took to LinkedIn with a humorous post inviting candidates to apply for a “Chief of What?” position at his company.
“All those who can't afford to pay my friend Deepi 20 lacs, please send me your application. I am looking for a Chief of Staff too although I don't know exactly what one does, I figure it can be your first assignment. I want you but you must be willing to do the following,” Mittal wrote.
He added a list of playful prerequisites for the role, including “accept compensation,” “send in their resume,” “Go through HR,” and “Carry the title of ChiefOfWhat? for 6 months.”
Mittal’s post received a range of reactions. A user remarked, “This is gonna sting Deepinder so hard,” to which Mittal replied, “He’s a big boy with a great sense of humour... can handle it.” Another commenter asked, “Did you have sarcasm in your breakfast today?”
However, not everyone appreciated Mittal’s tone. One critic described his comments as an attention-seeking attempt and criticised the post as distasteful. The comment stated, “Apart from being sasta (cheap) Tony Stark, this is what you come up with to grab attention? And follow the herd? Crazy... and such a bad copy - distasteful. Do better next time Anupam Mittal and all those emojis make clear of ChatGPT usage. You didn't have time for a better prompt also? This is sad. Anything to grab eyeballs.”
"First between Bhavish Agarwal and Kunal Kamra, and second round is between Deepinder Goyal and Anupam Mittal. Forget Hollywood, Bollywood, watch new entrepreneurs, they are more entertaining instead! Think they are setting a right tone for new generation who are looking up to them for inspiration? I would disagree," a third user added.
A user stated, "Seriously people ? This post was hilarious and in good taste, unlike Goyal's which was just a hit and miss. I'd rather work with Anupam over many other founders just for his sense of humor and willingness to give people the opportunity to define their own trajectory. Kudos buddy Anupam Mittal."
Amid the growing controversy, Goyal addressed the situation in a statement on X (formerly Twitter). He clarified that the Rs 20 lakh payment for the role was never intended to be a definitive requirement and stated that the job post had already attracted over 18,000 applications.
“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,” Goyal explained.
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