Harsh Goenka on Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal's job alert: 'Rs 20 lakh fee excludes talented...'

RPG Group chairperson Harsh Goenka said that although Zomato CEO's hiring call was 'innovative', it raises ethical concerns.

Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal has been receiving strong backlash from social media users since Wednesday evening after he announced a hiring call for a chief of staff who would not be paid a salary for the first year and would have to, instead, pay the company Rs 20 lakh (worth the first year salary) for the "learning opportunity". Among the notable figures who have voiced their opinion against such "opportunity" is industrialist Harsh Goenka.

Taking to X on Thursday, the RPG Group chairperson said that not only does the Rs 20 lakh fee exclude talented but underprivileged candidates from qualifying for the post, but asking to pay for a job also feels exploitative despite being positioned as “learning”. He also highlighted the lack of clarity on the chief of staff's salary during the second year of employment.

"Innovative idea- yes I like it (good PR value too) yet it raises ethical concerns," Goenka wrote.

My view:1. Rs 20L fee excludes talented but underprivileged candidates2. Asking to pay for a job feels exploitative, even if positioned as learning.3.Lack of clarity on Year 2 salary4.Innovative idea- yes I like it (good PR value too) yet it raises ethical concerns. https://t.co/U2RQcmlupt
Harsh Goenka (@hvgoenka) November 20, 2024

He was joined by other social media users who called out the hiring alert "filtered for privilege".

"By offering zero salary, you have already filtered for privilege. Just like the UN unpaid internships. Any person who has bills to pay for family cannot apply for this post," commented X user Mohak Mangal (@mohakmangal). Another user, Vishal Bhargava (@VishalBhargava5) said, "This is megalomania masquerading as an exotic hiring process. Because it’s such a privilege to work with the Zomato founder - that you don’t get a salary. Instead, the lucky candidate has to pay a fee of Rs 20 lakh."

'We have over 10,000 applications'
Meanwhile, Deepinder Goyal said on Thursday that he has already received more than 10,000 job applications for the role of chief of staff in less than 24 hours after sharing the hiring alert. He added that the deadline for sending applications is 6 pm.

"We have over 10,000 applications, a lot of them well thought through, mixed between- 1. Those who have all the money 2. Those who have some of the money 3. Those who say they don’t have the money 4. Those who really don’t have the money," Goyal wrote.

He promised further updates about the selection process