Zomato offers a job with a catch – you have to pay to get it

When the CEO of Indian delivery app Zomato advertised for a chief of staff on social media, it came with two large caveats.

When the CEO of Indian delivery app Zomato advertised for a chief of staff on social media, it came with two large caveats. There’d be no salary for the first year, and the successful applicant would have to pay the company 200,000 Indian rupees (about $2,400) for the privilege of the role. The post sparked immediate backlash from Indian social media users and inspired several memes and spoofs. “Guys basically he is trying to uplift those who are already uplifted,” one user wrote, referring to Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal. Another said, “A job is supposed to help you pay bills and put food on the table. You can’t expect people to work for free.” In the post, Goyal said the fee would be donated to his NGO Feeding India, referring to the role as a “fast track learning program” that would provide “10x more learnings” than a management course. However, in an update Thursday evening, Goyal revealed that the requirement to pay a fee was just a stunt. It “was merely a filter, to find people who had the power to appreciate the opportunity,” Goyal said.