‘They don’t feel oppressed enough’: Deepak Shenoy on surge in delivery despite strike
Swiggy, Zomato and magicpin stated that they saw a record surge in food orders across major Indian cities on New Year's Eve, achieving all-time high delivery figures despite a strike by sections of gig workers.
- Jan 2, 2026,
- Updated Jan 2, 2026 8:46 AM IST
Despite a call for strike by delivery agents, food delivery aggregators Swiggy, Zomato and magicpin claimed they saw a massive surge in food orders and delivered those in unprecedented numbers. Capitalmind AMC CEO Deepak Shenoy believes the reason was simple – the delivery folks don’t feel oppressed enough and are not tempted to give up their income for that ask.
“It's sometimes far less than 10 minutes for me, and I don't care, I would easily wait 30 minutes, but the dark store is like 200 meters away so they could walk and deliver in 10,” said Shenoy responding to a post by Zomato founder Deepinder Goyal.
“The point about the delivery folks not participating in the strike is simply because they don't feel oppressed enough. Almost everyone cribs about their job. Even founders do but they don't have anyone to blame. It's ok to feel like you deserve more, but entirely something else to give up your income for that ask,” reasoned Shenoy.
This comes as Swiggy, Zomato and magicpin stated that they saw a record surge in food orders across major Indian cities on New Year's Eve, achieving all-time high delivery figures despite a strike by sections of gig workers. The platforms reported minimal disruption, as most delivery partners continued operations, ensuring millions of customers received their orders on time.
In a post Goyal said, "Zomato and Blinkit delivered at a record pace yesterday, unaffected by calls for strikes that many of us heard over the past few days. Support from local law enforcement helped keep the small number of miscreants in check, enabling over 4.5 lakh delivery partners across both platforms to deliver more than 75 lakh orders (all-time high) to over 63 lakh customers during the day."
Anshoo Sharma, Founder and CEO of magicpin, reported that the strike did not impact their operations, stating the company saw "no impact" of the strike called by gig workers' unions. Magicpin noted lakhs of orders pouring in every hour across metro cities, reflecting strong demand.
On Swiggy, biryani was in high demand, with 2.19 lakh orders placed before 7:30 pm. Swiggy further said, "Meanwhile, the age-old battle between pizzas and burgers continued. By 8:30 p.m., over 2.18 lakh pizzas had been dispatched, while burgers put up a fight with over 2.16 lakh orders, proving that India's palate is as diverse as its celebrations."
Meanwhile, the Gig & Platform Service Workers Union said over 1 lakh workers across 22 cities joined the strike, while estimates place India's gig workforce at 12.7 million, with NITI Aayog projecting a rise to 23.5 million by 2029-30.
Despite a call for strike by delivery agents, food delivery aggregators Swiggy, Zomato and magicpin claimed they saw a massive surge in food orders and delivered those in unprecedented numbers. Capitalmind AMC CEO Deepak Shenoy believes the reason was simple – the delivery folks don’t feel oppressed enough and are not tempted to give up their income for that ask.
“It's sometimes far less than 10 minutes for me, and I don't care, I would easily wait 30 minutes, but the dark store is like 200 meters away so they could walk and deliver in 10,” said Shenoy responding to a post by Zomato founder Deepinder Goyal.
“The point about the delivery folks not participating in the strike is simply because they don't feel oppressed enough. Almost everyone cribs about their job. Even founders do but they don't have anyone to blame. It's ok to feel like you deserve more, but entirely something else to give up your income for that ask,” reasoned Shenoy.
This comes as Swiggy, Zomato and magicpin stated that they saw a record surge in food orders across major Indian cities on New Year's Eve, achieving all-time high delivery figures despite a strike by sections of gig workers. The platforms reported minimal disruption, as most delivery partners continued operations, ensuring millions of customers received their orders on time.
In a post Goyal said, "Zomato and Blinkit delivered at a record pace yesterday, unaffected by calls for strikes that many of us heard over the past few days. Support from local law enforcement helped keep the small number of miscreants in check, enabling over 4.5 lakh delivery partners across both platforms to deliver more than 75 lakh orders (all-time high) to over 63 lakh customers during the day."
Anshoo Sharma, Founder and CEO of magicpin, reported that the strike did not impact their operations, stating the company saw "no impact" of the strike called by gig workers' unions. Magicpin noted lakhs of orders pouring in every hour across metro cities, reflecting strong demand.
On Swiggy, biryani was in high demand, with 2.19 lakh orders placed before 7:30 pm. Swiggy further said, "Meanwhile, the age-old battle between pizzas and burgers continued. By 8:30 p.m., over 2.18 lakh pizzas had been dispatched, while burgers put up a fight with over 2.16 lakh orders, proving that India's palate is as diverse as its celebrations."
Meanwhile, the Gig & Platform Service Workers Union said over 1 lakh workers across 22 cities joined the strike, while estimates place India's gig workforce at 12.7 million, with NITI Aayog projecting a rise to 23.5 million by 2029-30.