The Ex-Grubhub Network: How a Laid-Off Auditor Built a Talent Pipeline

The Ex-Grubhub Talent Network now tracks 326 alumni, providing a structured database that recruiters use to filter candidates by specialty. Thevaranjan leveraged his professional background as an auditor to build the system, initially tagging company executives on LinkedIn to capitalize on what he calls the empathy window—the brief period where corporate leaders feel compelled to assist those they have let go.

While platforms like LinkedIn offer vast reach, they often overwhelm job seekers with noise. Thevaranjan’s project counters this by offering a curated, intimate environment. Former Grubhub recruiter Katie Cavote helped optimize the tracker for hiring managers, while career coaches Tamara Pohle and Anne Stamer note that the network’s longevity is an anomaly in an era of frequent tech industry cutbacks. For workers like C.J. Cross, who utilized the group to find a role at Uber only to return after subsequent industry-wide reductions, the network provides a reliable anchor in an volatile job market.