Is Zomato's Chief of Staff Position Really Worth the Rs 20 Lakhs Investment?

Deepinder Goyal, the CEO of Zomato, is searching for a Chief of Staff. However, he stated that the individual selected for the position would not receive a salary in the first year and would need to pay Rs 20 lakh to the company.

"Update: I am looking for a chief of staff for myself," he wrote in a post on X sharing the job role requirement.

The post included a two-page document that outlined the job requirements, describing the ideal candidate's qualifications and providing instructions on how to apply for the role.

"I am looking for a Chief of Staff for myself. Someone who is hungry, has a lot of common sense, empathy, and not a lot of experience (and therefore no conditioning/baggage). Is down to earth, and has zero entitlement. Wants to do the right thing, even if it comes at the cost of displeasing others. Has Grade A communication skills and most importantly, has a learning mindset," the post said.

The job involves developing "anything and everything" to drive the future growth of Zomato and its various brands, such as Blinkit, District, Hyperpure, and Feeding India.

The Zomato CEO mentioned that the job offers "10x more learnings than a 2-year degree from a top management school," including the opportunity to work directly with him. He also noted that the role is unconventional, which is why the company is making it "less appealing for most people."

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"We believe that people who apply for this role should do it for the learning opportunity it presents, rather than for a fancy well paying job which will make you look cool in front of yourself, or the people you want to impress," it said.

"There is no salary for this role for the first year. You will have to, in fact, pay Rs 20 lacs for this opportunity. 100 percent of this "fee" will be paid in the form of a donation directly to Feeding India (if you are offered the role, and you accept it). At our end, we want to demonstrate that we are not trying to save money here - we will contribute Rs 50 lacs (equivalent to a Chief of Staff salary) to a charity of your choice. Second year onwards, we will start paying you the usual salary (definitely more than 50 lacs, but something we will only talk about at the start of Year 2)," the document read.