Zomato co-founder Gunjan Patidar resigns; 4th co-founder to leave firm
What's the story
Gunjan Patidar, co-founder and chief technology officer (CTO) of Zomato, has resigned after over ten years in the firm, the company announced. This marks another high-profile exit from the company, which has been going through a tough period. Patidar's resignation comes at a time when Zomato is trying to find a new identity for itself. It recently rebranded the broader, internal organization as Eternal.
Context
Why does this story matter?
Patidar is the fourth senior figure at Zomato to leave the company in a matter of weeks. This makes us wonder, what's happening at the loss-making food aggregator? Considering Patidar's expertise in the tech side of things, Zomato will have to replace him quickly. For all we know, Zomato is unfazed about losing another co-founder.
Patidar
He was part of the company for 14 years
A graduate of the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, Patidar was one of the earliest employees of Zomato, the company said in a stock exchange filing. Per his LinkedIn profile, he was in the company for 14 years and was in charge of all tech verticals. Before joining Zomato in 2008, Patidar worked as a software engineer at Cyient.
Official words
Patidar built a team capable of taking the mantle: Zomato
"Patidar was one of the first few employees of Zomato and built the core tech systems for the company," Zomato said in a stock exchange filing. "Over the last 10+ years, he also nurtured a stellar tech leadership team that is capable of taking on the mantle of leading the tech function going forward. His contribution to building Zomato has been invaluable."
Exodus
Patidar is the 4th co-founder to leave Zomato
Zomato has been going through somewhat of a top-executive exodus. Patidar's exit comes only weeks after Mohit Gupta, another co-founder, quit the firm. Two senior executives, including former food delivery chief Rahul Ganjoo and Siddharth Jawar, also resigned from the firm recently. Patidar is the fourth co-executive to leave the company after Pankaj Chaddha in 2018, Gaurav Gupta in 2021, and Mohit Gupta.