Luxury or necessity? IIT graduate, his wife pay Rs 1 lakh a month for a home manager

Imagine starting your day handling every responsibility at home—guiding the househelp, planning meals with your cook, calling repair workers, buying groceries after work—all while juggling a demanding job and a long list of office tasks.

What if someone else could manage your home while you focus solely on your career? Or better yet—what if managing a home could itself be a well-paid profession?

That’s exactly what the role of a home manager offers: a dedicated professional who oversees all household operations, from maintenance to meals. And for some, it’s turning into a lucrative job.

The viral conversation

The discussion ignited when New York Times contributor Sahil Bloom posted on X on November 14 about the concept of “ownership vs. renting.”

“I'd gladly pay $500 per month for 24/7 access to a home manager who could be the single point-of-contact for my home,” he wrote.

Bloom imagined someone who could schedule recurring services, coordinate one-off tasks, and consolidate all service costs into a single monthly bill.

He added, “It’s probably a local/regional business… but a huge opportunity nonetheless.”

Replying to Bloom, Aman Goel, IITian and founder-CEO of GreyLabs, revealed that he already employs a full-time home manager.

“I actually hired a Home Manager who takes care of everything—food planning, wardrobe management, repairs, maintenance, groceries, laundry, etc.,” he wrote.

Goel and his wife, GreyLabs co-founder Harshita Srivastava, have delegated all household responsibilities so they can focus entirely on scaling their company.

“The decision has been really good—saving us lots of headaches and time,” he shared.

The home manager, Goel said, is highly qualified and previously worked as an operations head at a hotel chain.

“We pay them ₹1 lakh a month. Expensive? Yes. But we value our time and can afford to pay,” he explained.

The setup also helps because Goel’s elderly parents live with him. “I don’t want to burden them. Managing a house—cooking, cleaning, groceries, repairs—is a task. So we delegated it.”

Social media reactions

As expected, the post sparked mixed reactions online.

One user commented, “This is how you burn founders’ money. According to Peter Thiel, founding partners should take a low salary.”

Goel clarified that he pays the home manager from personal income, not company funds.

Another user called the idea “weird.”

Goel responded simply: “Convenient though.”

He also pointed out that many people already hire househelp and cooks to ease domestic responsibilities. A home manager, he said, is just a more organised and comprehensive version of the same concept—ideal for those who want to fully devote their time to building their careers.