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Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal Says Stammer Keeps Him Off Live Town Halls

He describes switching to text-based Slack sessions as a practical way to lead that manages anxiety from a lifelong speech impediment.

Overview

  • In a new appearance on Raj Shamani’s Figuring Out podcast, Deepinder Goyal spoke at length about how stammering still makes public conversations stressful.
  • He said he has not addressed the entire company in a live all-hands for about 7–8 years and now conducts town-hall-style exchanges via Slack messages.
  • Goyal recalled being bullied as a child for his skin tone, stammer, and poor grades, and said the deepest hurt was people stopping mid-sentence to stop listening.
  • He noted that these experiences led him to limit interviews and podcasts because they are uncomfortable and mentally draining.
  • Goyal added that he has grown calmer in recent years and feels he has made peace with his stammer, crediting family support and a belief that people now listen despite pauses.