Deepinder Goyal: Waited 5 years to pull off the Zomato 'Rs 20 lakh chief of staff' bluff

In November 2024, Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal wrote on LinkedIn that he was looking for a chief of staff. What grabbed instant attention—and made the listing go viral—was his condition that applicants pay Rs 20 lakh upfront before joining.

• Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal revealed his 2024 chief of staff hiring post was a deliberate bluff. He sought learners unconcerned with money, and only interested in learning on the job.

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Deepinder Goyal recently revealed that the 2024 announcement he had made -- about hiring a chief of staff for Zomato who would initially have to pay Rs 20 lakh to the company -- was actually a trick to filter deserving candidates. In fact, the company has still been hiring from among the 17,000 candidates who applied for the role.

Speaking to Raj Shamani on his podcast, the Zomato CEO shared that he had been toying with the idea for five years.

"I knew that doing this would hurt my personal reputation, so I waited till I had built enough goodwill that could withstand being hit," Goyal said, adding that the idea behind the trick was to find people who could see that he was bluffing about the Rs 20 lakh payment and still choose to apply. Those who did demonstrated the kind of mindset Zomato was looking for.

"I wanted learners who don't care about money, but they would still get the cash... and we got 17,000 of those people. We are currently still recruiting people from among those who had applied to us at that time," Goyal said.

He also refuted allegations that the chief of staff announcement was a PR stunt. "It was not a PR stunt," the Zomato CEO said. "I genuinely wanted those applications."

The controversial job posting

In November 2024, Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal took to LinkedIn to announce that the company was looking for a chief of staff. What made the posting unusual—and instantly viral—was the stipulation that applicants would have to pay Rs 20 lakh upfront to Zomato before joining. Goyal described the role as one that would give candidates a chance to work closely with him, learn directly from the CEO, and gain exposure to high-impact decision-making at the company.

Social media users called the move a 'publicity stunt'

The announcement sparked a storm of reactions online. Many users criticised the idea, calling it exploitative and questioning why a candidate should pay to work at a company. Others speculated that the move was a publicity stunt designed to grab attention. But, Goyal defended the posting, saying that the intent was to attract “learners who don’t care about money” and who valued the experience over immediate financial gain.

Despite the backlash, the posting struck a chord with thousands of aspirants. Within days, Zomato received over 10,000 applications, and by the end of the cycle, the number had swelled to 17,000. The sheer volume of interest demonstrated that many candidates were willing to look past the unusual requirement and focus on the opportunity.

Applicants hired in 'impactful roles' across Zomato

By 2025, Goyal revealed that Zomato had gone ahead with the recruitment process. The company hired two individuals as chiefs of staff, while another 18 candidates were absorbed into high-impact roles across the organisation.