'WhatsApp Me': Zomato's Deepinder Goyal Overwhelmed By 8,000 Emails After Outreach To Former Staff

In an era where corporate departures are often seen as final, Deepinder Goyal, the founder of the Indian tech giant Eternal (formerly Zomato), has found himself at the centre of an unexpected digital deluge. Just one week after issuing a public invitation for former employees to return to the fold, Mr Goyal revealed on Wednesday that his inbox has been flooded with over 8,000 emails. The outreach, directed at those who had previously worked for the food delivery and quick-commerce pioneer, appears to have struck a deep emotional chord.

A quick update on back@eternal.com

Over the last week, we received over 8,000 emails. About 4,000 from people who have been part of the Eternal journey at some point. Rest from people who haven't worked here but want to. Thank you so much for this. I didn't expect this at all.…

— Deepinder Goyal (@deepigoyal) February 11, 2026

According to Mr Goyal, roughly 4,000 of these messages came from "alumni" who had been part of the company's nearly 20-year history. The remainder were from hopeful candidates who have never worked for the firm but are eager to join.

Writing on social media, Mr Goyal admitted the scale of the response was beyond his expectations. He described the emails as "full of emotions and honesty," containing personal histories that span over a decade.

"A lot of our current team has no context on people who left five, ten, fifteen years ago," Mr Goyal noted. "The only person who can truly read these emails and know who to respond to is me."

However, the sheer volume of correspondence has created a logistical bottleneck. Acknowledging that it is "not humanly possible" to sift through 8,000 messages quickly, the founder has offered a more direct - if unconventional - route for his closest former colleagues. He has urged those who worked with him directly to bypass the "back@eternal.com" inbox, find his personal mobile number, and send him a message on WhatsApp.

The surge in interest comes at a pivotal time for the company. Last year, Zomato rebranded its corporate parent entity to Eternal Limited to reflect a broader portfolio that includes Blinkit (quick commerce), Hyperpure (B2B supplies), and District (events).

While Mr Goyal recently stepped down as the Group CEO to focus on strategic growth as Vice Chairman, he remains the face of the company's culture. His recent "come back" campaign acknowledged past leadership failures and promised a "less chaotic" environment for those willing to return for a second or third stint.