'Instant reject': Mumbai-based founder asked to meet husband after extending job offer to woman

His remarks triggered mixed reactions online, with some supporting his stance and others highlighting the societal constraints women often face.

A Mumbai-based CEO has sparked debate after revealing that a woman selected for a senior role in his company asked him to meet her husband before she accepted the offer. Vinod Chendhil, founder and CEO of healthy noodle brand Naturally Yours, described the request as a “huge red flag” and rejected the candidate “instantly.”

Chendhil shared the incident on X (formerly Twitter), where he expressed his surprise and disappointment over the candidate’s dependence on her husband’s approval. “Spoke to a candidate today, who wanted us to meet her husband after we had selected her. Instant reject,” he posted. He later clarified that the woman had been chosen for a senior-level position.

Spoke to a candidate tdy, who wanted us to meet her husband after we had selected her.Instant reject.P.s: This was for a senior level hire.
Vinod Chendhil (@vinodchendhil) March 18, 2025

In a follow-up post, Chendhil elaborated on why the request raised concerns. According to him, the woman wanted her husband to effectively “interview” the CEO to assess whether the company was a good fit for her.

“Because she wants her husband to say yes for her to join us. Why would an independent woman want that? Basically, she wants her husband to interview us to see if it's okay for her to join. Shows she is totally dependent on him. How will she ever take any decisions if she cannot take a basic one? And she is not an intern to be asking us to speak to someone elder, right? Huge red flag,” he wrote.

Bcas she wants her husband to say yes for her to join us. Why would an independent woman want that. Basically she wants her husband to interview us to see if its ok for her to join. Shows she is totally dependent on him. How will she ever take any decisions, if she cannot take a Vinod Chendhil (@vinodchendhil) March 18, 2025

When another X user questioned his reasoning, Chendhil responded: “No logic, why would someone want husband approval before joining?”

His remarks triggered mixed reactions online, with some supporting his stance and others highlighting the societal constraints women often face.

A user shared his own experiences, stating, “I have had conversations with female candidates' parents BUT at intern levels. Mostly to allay any anxiety around their kid being safe & taken care of (it’s their first job, so understood). At senior levels, it’s a crazy thing. There’s no way it would have worked. Good call.”

Another entrepreneur, recounted a similar incident, saying, “True. We interviewed a person from Delhi who agreed to join in Bangalore but then said my family may not allow it and we said an immediate no.”

However, some users criticised Chendhil’s decision. Sakshi Shukla, founder of Saturn Studios, argued that the situation reflected societal restrictions on women rather than the candidate’s inability to make decisions.

"I hear you. But this isn’t a red flag on her part. (And I’m very aware that yours isn’t a business of empowering women.) But it’s not a sign that she cannot take decisions—it’s a sign that her family wants to control where she works. You might as well have rejected a really solid candidate just because society is structured in a way that functions against women,” she wrote.

Chendhil responded by stating that his decision to reject the candidate was not solely based on this request but also due to “other red flags” that arose during her three-hour interview.