Online food delivery platform founder Deepinder Goyal is looking for athletes who are also engineers and scientists for his new startup. On Friday, he shared an unconventional hiring post for his venture ‘Temple’, sparking widespread reactions on social media.
In the job criteria, Goyal specified that male applicants must have less than 16% body fat, while female applicants must have less than 26% body fat. The unusual eligibility conditions have left many internet users surprised.
Last month, Goyal stepped down as Managing Director and Group CEO of Eternal, the parent company of Zomato and Blinkit. He has now been appointed as Vice Chairman of Eternal.
‘Temple’ to Build Advanced Wearable Devices for Elite Athletes
In his post, Goyal said he is hiring for roles ranging from analog systems engineers to computational neuroscientists. His startup ‘Temple’ aims to develop advanced wearable devices for top-tier athletes.
He emphasized that only individuals who are highly focused on fitness should apply. Candidates who exceed the specified body fat percentage can still apply if they commit to reducing it within three months, but they would remain on probation during that period.
Social Media Users Question the Criteria
Goyal’s post quickly went viral, drawing mixed reactions online.
One user joked that to maintain less than 16% body fat, men might need to stop using the Zomato app altogether.
Another user questioned the link between building high-quality fitness technology and having a low body fat percentage, noting that many groundbreaking sports-tech innovations were created by engineers who were not elite athletes themselves.
So far, no official comment has been issued by Zomato’s spokesperson regarding the debate sparked by the hiring post.
This unconventional recruitment strategy has triggered conversations about startup culture, hiring standards, and the balance between personal fitness and technical expertise in the sports-tech industry.
