Deepinder Goyal’s public call to former Zomato staff draws mixed reactions

Zomato founder Deepinder Goyal has issued a public appeal to former employees to consider returning to the company, prompting mixed reactions online and reopening debate around workplace culture and leadership in India’s startup ecosystem.

In a post on X, Goyal addressed ex-Zomato employees who had left either by choice or as part of past restructuring, saying the company had evolved and that the door remained open. “I want you back,” he wrote, acknowledging that Zomato may not have provided the right environment or leadership for everyone at the time.

The message comes less than a year after Zomato laid off around 600 customer support employees, following the rollout of an AI-powered customer support platform. Those layoffs had drawn criticism over job losses linked to automation.

Goyal’s post followed his recent decision to step down as group chief executive of Eternal, Zomato’s parent entity, to focus on higher-risk ventures outside the core business, Financial Express reported. He said his involvement with Zomato’s ecosystem remained unchanged despite the shift in title.

In the post, Goyal argued that the organisation had matured. He said more than 400 employees had returned to the company for a second or third stint, citing improved structure and reduced chaos. “We are more organised,” he wrote, adding that both the company and its leadership had learned from past missteps.

Zomato today operates as part of a broader group under Eternal, spanning food delivery, quick commerce, logistics and social initiatives, including Zomato, Blinkit, Hyperpure, District and Feeding India. Goyal said the group needed people who understood its culture and were willing to help build the next phase.

The appeal, however, triggered sharply divided reactions online. Some users welcomed the outreach as a sign of founder accountability and organisational maturity. Others were more sceptical, arguing that rehiring former employees without addressing the reasons behind high attrition risked glossing over deeper cultural issues.

Critics also questioned the timing of the post, suggesting it reflected reputational repair after a period marked by layoffs and restructuring rather than a substantive shift in workplace practices.

Zomato has not announced any formal rehiring programme or changes to its recruitment strategy following the post.

The episode underscores a wider trend in the tech sector, where founders are increasingly using public platforms to shape employer narratives amid automation-led restructuring and heightened scrutiny of workplace culture. Whether Goyal’s call translates into sustained rehiring — or prompts deeper internal change — remains an open question.

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