The CEO of a multibillion-dollar company has drawn a serious backlash after an online “stunt” where he posted a job ad asking successful candidates to cough up thousands of dollars.
Deepinder Goyal is the CEO and founder of Indian food delivery company Zomato, a company valued at around $42 billion.
Goyal sparked widespread outrage after revealing that he was looking for a new chief of staff.
The ad begins normally, stating that the company is looking for people who are “hungry”, have “Grade A communication skills”, “zero entitlement” and, most importantly, a “learning mindset”.
The ad specifically mentions people with minimal experience to avoid being “under the condition” or “baggage”.
Applicants were told that the role would give them “10x more learning than a 2-year degree from a top management school” as they would be working with Mr Goyal himself, alongside “some of the smartest people in consumer technology”.
Then came the catch – and boy was it a doozy.
Goyal stated that the role was not “conventional” and did not come with the “usual perks” expected with this type of job.
By “regular benefits”, the CEO means salary.
“There will be no salary for this role in the first year,” the job description says.
Not only that, but the successful applicant will be required to pay a “fee” to the company, totaling 20 lakh rupees, equivalent to $15,000 Australian dollars.
This fee will be paid in the form of a donation to a non-profit organization, Feeding India – a food donation charity acquired by Zomato in 2019.
To demonstrate that Zomato isn’t just doing this to save money, the company said it will donate 50 lakh rupees ($59,000) — the equivalent of its Chief of Staff’s salary — to a charity of its employees’ choice.
The company said that after a year, it will pay its employees, which they promise will “definitely” be more than $59,000.
“We believe that people applying for this role should do so for the learning opportunities it provides, rather than for a fancy job that will make you look good in front of yourself, or people you want to impress,” the ad said. .
“To be different, think of this as a fast learning program, for you personally and professionally – do you succeed in this role. We want to learn for this role, not continue the journeyman.
Unsurprisingly, the CEO’s post caused widespread uproar, garnering thousands of comments and being re-shared countless times by shocked professionals.
Many people pointed out that the only applicants who will be able to afford this “opportunity” are those who do not need a job in the first place.
“What’s the point of doing this? You’re screening for a baby trust fund that doesn’t need money?” one person asked.
“Alas. It basically means that only people who are rich enough to leave their salary for a year can take the job. The job of Chief of Staff is not for high-level executives, but for young up-and-comers. So only ‘rich kids’ can take this job, not self-made people,” said another.
Others branded the move “absurd”, “embarrassing” and “blunder to say”.
“Isn’t this work? It’s a hobby,” said one man.
“The irony is asking them to starve and not pay,” said another.
In a follow-up post, the CEO said he had received more than 10,000 applications, including people who “had all the money”, who had “some money”, who “said” they didn’t. money and those who “really” have no money.
In the last update – and after much backlash – Goyal revealed that applications had closed, claiming that more than 18,000 people had applied for the role.
He then claimed that the requirement for successful applicants to pay thousands of dollars in “fees” was “just a filter to find people who have the power to appreciate career opportunities quickly, without getting bogged down by the obstacles in front of them”.
He claimed that the company would reject most applicants with money, even going so far as to claim that charging people a fee was “never part of the plan”.
As “proof”, the CEO shared a message sent by someone on X, formerly Twitter, in which he claimed he would not ask for payment and would “pay the right people”.
Unfortunately for the CEO, this revelation did little to dampen the reaction, with many attacking it as a “publicity stunt”.
“You might get 18,000 entries but you’ve lost all respect for being an unscrupulous founder who uses social media influence for a stupid PR stunt,” one person said.
Another said: “It’s not all a marketing gimmick! People who value learning but don’t have the resources won’t believe that this is your plan. You might be missing out on some critical talent.
Others accused Goyal of “backtracking” after the original post did not receive the desired response.
“This looks like damage control. This is clearly not a well-thought-out hiring strategy,” one person wrote.
“Well, if you think about it! If you never want this money, why (what) do you keep a filter that will eliminate the eligible people who might be the best fit but can’t apply for this position? others asked.
