From ₹20 Lakh Job to Startup: Harshit’s Inspiring Journey

In late 2024, Deepinder Goyal, the founder of Zomato, stirred significant discussion online with his controversial job posting for a Chief of Staff position that offered a staggering ₹20 lakh salary. This announcement sparked a flurry of reactions, with many labeling it as exploitative or merely a publicity stunt. However, amidst the heated debates surrounding the ethics of such a pay-to-work model, one applicant, Harshit, perceived an entirely different perspective: a unique opportunity for personal and professional growth. In a candid post shared on X, Harshit expressed that he viewed this position not just as a job, but as a gateway to an invaluable learning experience that he believed he could not replicate elsewhere. This mindset ultimately led him to submit his application, which was more of a heartfelt narrative than a traditional résumé.

On December 25, 2024, Harshit arrived at Goyal's farmhouse, anticipating a standard interview. To his surprise, he left with an offer to join a nascent company that was still in its conceptual stages, lacking a name or a defined team. Just moments after departing, he made a significant decision to resign from his job in Toronto, fully embracing this unexpected opportunity. Harshit’s application was refreshingly unorthodox; he opted to share a brief 200-word account detailing his journey of taking over his late father's textile business as a teenager, his academic pursuits at the University of Toronto, and his decision to forgo a lucrative six-figure job in New York to create a student career platform that garnered over 14,000 users. Reflecting on this experience, he emphasized that the role was not merely about a title but about gaining access to a learning curve that would be instrumental in shaping his career.