Second chances at Eternal: Why was Zomato's Deepinder Goyal's inbox flooded with over 8000 emails suddenly?

The world of jobs is quite unpredictable; sometimes loyalty runs deep, but life pulls people in different directions.Similar things happened when founder Deepinder Goyal, the mind behind Zomato and now Eternal Limited, called back his ex- Zomato employees, reminding us that doors don't always slam shut; sometimes they swing wide open again. Deepinder Goyal's open invitation earlier this month sparked something unexpected. In a post on X, he urged ex-Zomato staff, whether they left on their terms or not, to consider returning, saying, “If you used to work at Zomato, whether you chose to move on, or I was the one who asked you to leave, this is for you,” in his February 3 announcement.He acknowledged past shortcomings, noting the company is now “more organised, a little less chaotic,” and stressed, “I want you back”. The response poured in through ‘back@eternal.com’, with Goyal revealing on February 11 that over 8,000 emails arrived in a week, nearly half from former Eternal journey members, the rest from newcomers eager to join.Goyal described the messages as “full of emotions and honesty,” packed with personal tales stretching back years, as quoted in his X update.With Eternal now a "family of companies" including Zomato, Blinkit, District, Hyperpure, and Feeding India, he explained it's tough for teams to sift through them all. “The only person who can truly read these emails and know who to respond to is me. And it is not humanly possible for me to read through 8,000 emails, and pick and choose the right ones to respond to, quickly,” he wrote, assuring everyone is under review despite the time it'll take.For those who worked closely with him and need a faster reply, Goyal got practical: “If you worked with me directly, and you wrote in, and you are waiting for a reply, here is what will work quickly: find my number and WhatsApp me. Looking forward to reconnecting,”This follows his change from Group CEO to Vice Chairman last month, handing reins to Blinkit head Albinder Dhindsa while staying deeply involved. Goyal emphasized titles never defined Eternal's spirit, “Did titles ever matter at Eternal? I am still very much here”.