Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal’s recent post about the unconventional way to hire a Chief of Staff (CoS) raised a furore of viewpoints and questions on social media.According to the job listing, the selected candidate would not receive a salary during the first year but would instead need to contribute Rs 20 lakh for the “opportunity” to work at Zomato.

To demonstrate that the company is not trying to save money, Zomato would contribute Rs 50 lakh (equivalent to a chief of staff salary) to a charity of the employee's choice.

The Zomato CEO claims that the posting was meant to serve as a filter to identify candidates who can appreciate the unique career opportunity rather than a genuine request for payment.

Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal has announced a unique job opening for his Chief of Staff. This unconventional role comes without a salary for the first year, requiring candidates to pay Rs 20 lakh as a donation to Feeding India.

According to the Zomato chief, the opportunity offers 10 times more learning than a two-year degree from a top management school.

Zomato is looking for a Chief of Staff. The job update was shared by none other than Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal himself. In the post description, Goyal said those applying for the job must be hungry and must have lot of common sense.

Candidates interested in this “fast-track learning program” must submit a 200-word cover letter to Goyal’s email, [email protected].

After sparking a buzz on social media over hiring his chief of staff, Deepinder Goyal, co-founder and chief executive officer of Zomato, said the fee of Rs 20 lakh was merely a filter. While the chief of staff is yet to be appointed, Goyal received a total of 18,000 applications.

Despite the salary waiver, Goyal will continue to serve as Managing Director and CEO of Zomato and remains eligible for variable pay, the details of which will be determined by the board at a later date.

Despite waiving his salary, Goyal will continue to serve as Zomato's Managing Director (MD) and CEO, fulfilling all his responsibilities.

Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal extends his Rs 3.5 crore annual salary waiver until FY26, focusing on company growth as Zomato strengthens its position in the competitive quick commerce market