Zomato founder Deepinder Goyal has been inundated with more than 8,000 emails after reaching out to former employees, prompting him to ask close ex-colleagues to contact him directly on WhatsApp instead.
Just a week after issuing a public invitation to Zomato alumni to consider rejoining the company, Mr Goyal said the response far exceeded his expectations. Writing on social media on Wednesday, he revealed that around 4,000 emails came from former employees who were part of the company’s nearly two-decade journey, while the rest were from aspirants who had never worked at Zomato but were keen to join.
Describing the messages as “full of emotions and honesty,” Mr Goyal said many emails detailed personal journeys spanning 10 to 15 years. He added that the scale of the response has created a logistical challenge, as many current team members are unfamiliar with employees who left years ago.
“A lot of our current team has no context on people who left five, ten, fifteen years ago,” he wrote, noting that he is the only one who can personally identify and respond to many of the messages. However, he acknowledged that going through 8,000 emails is “not humanly possible” in a short time.
To speed up the process, Mr Goyal has asked former colleagues who worked directly with him to skip the official email inbox and reach out to him via WhatsApp using his personal mobile number.
The overwhelming response comes at a significant phase for the company. Last year, Zomato renamed its parent entity to Eternal Limited, reflecting its expanded business portfolio that includes Blinkit, Hyperpure and District. Although Mr Goyal recently stepped down as Group CEO to take on the role of Vice Chairman, he continues to shape the company’s culture.
His outreach campaign also included an acknowledgement of past leadership missteps and a promise of a more stable and less chaotic work environment for those willing to return for another stint.