Zomato founder Deepinder Goyal has issued an open invitation to former employees, urging them to consider returning to the company. The assertion came days after he stepped down Group CEO of Eternal to focus on ‘higher-risk ventures outside the firm’.

In a heartfelt post on X, Goyal addressed those who once worked at Zomato, whether they left by choice or were asked to move on. It is pertinent to note here that the company had led extensive layoffs last year, ousting up to 600 customer support employees as it began implementing an AI-powered support platform.

“If you used to work at Zomato… this is for you,” Goyal wrote, acknowledging that the company may not have offered the right environment or leadership for everyone at the time. Despite that, he said many former employees shared a deep emotional connection with the company and may not have felt “at home” anywhere else since leaving.

‘The company has grown’

Goyal noted that Eternal, Zomato’s parent ecosystem, has evolved significantly over the years. Today, the group employs over 400 people who are on their second or even third stint with the organisation, Goyal said.

The reason, he said, is twofold: personal growth and organisational maturity. “We are more organised, a little less chaotic,” Goyal admitted, adding that he himself has learned valuable lessons along the way.

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‘If you haven’t reached out because…’

Addressing concerns about his role, Goyal clarified that while he is no longer Zomato’s CEO, his involvement remains unchanged. “Did titles ever matter at Eternal?” he asked, reinforcing that leadership at the company has always gone beyond formal designations.

Urging former employees to consider returning to Zomato, Goyal said people shouldn’t overthink their decision if they feel like the “door is closed”.

“[If] you think I’m holding onto the past, I’m not. I want you back,” he said.

“There is so much to build at Eternal. We are today, a family of companies. Zomato, Blinkit Quick-Commerce, Blinkit Ambulances, District, Hyperpure, Nugget, and Feeding India. We need people who already know what good looks like here, and who care enough to fight for it. There is no better person for that than someone who has been here, left, grown, and wants to come back,” he wrote further.

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‘Fix why they left first’

Netizens offered mixed reactions to Goyal’s post, with one user writing “Rehiring your ex-employees like a nostalgia tour isn’t culture, it’s retention failure dressed up as ‘family.’ Fix why they left first.”

Another user wrote – “This isn’t nostalgia. It’s damage control.
If the culture was healthy, people wouldn’t need a public recall email. High attrition, burnout, chaos then and chaos now. Growth didn’t come from leadership maturity, it came from market timing. Calling it family doesn’t erase why people left.”