Would also believe that workers are being exploited, but...: Goyal on gig work after Zomato, Blinkit hit record deliveries

Eternal founder Deepinder Goyal on Thursday pushed back against what he called “vested narratives”, saying allegations of gig worker exploitation do not reflect on-ground realities.

His comments followed a record New Year’s Eve for Zomato and Blinkit, which together delivered more than 7.5 million orders, the highest single-day volume ever for the platforms.

In a post on X, Goyal said criticism of quick deliveries often arises from a lack of understanding of the underlying system. “I understand why everybody thinks that 10-minute delivery must be risking lives, because it is hard to imagine the sheer complexity of the system design that enables quick deliveries,” he said.

Goyal also acknowledged that the model is not without flaws, but argued that the portrayal on social media is misleading. “No system is perfect, and we are all for making it better than today. However, it is far from what is being portrayed on social media by people who don’t understand how our system works and why,” he added.

Earlier in the day, Goyal said Zomato and its quick-commerce arm Blinkit recorded their highest-ever delivery volumes on New Year’s Eve, underscoring what he described as voluntary participation by gig workers. In a post on X, he said more than 4.5 lakh delivery partners completed over 75 lakh orders for 63 lakh customers in a single day -- an all-time record for the platforms.

10-minute delivery

Goyal addressed criticism around Blinkit’s much-debated 10-minute delivery promise, which labour groups and safety advocates argue encourages rash driving. Rejecting the claim, he said the model relies on store density rather than speed. “Our 10-minute delivery promise is enabled by the density of stores around your homes. It’s not enabled by asking delivery partners to drive fast," he said.

He further clarified that delivery partners are not shown any countdown timers. “Delivery partners don’t even have a timer on their app to indicate what was the original time promised to the customer," he said.

Explaining the logistics, Goyal said orders are typically picked and packed within about 2.5 minutes, after which riders travel less than two kilometres in roughly eight minutes—implying an average speed of around 15 kmph.

Misunderstanding the system

Acknowledging public anxiety around safety, Goyal said the criticism often stems from a misunderstanding of how quick-commerce systems are designed. “I understand why everybody thinks 10 minutes must be risking lives, because it is indeed hard to imagine the sheer complexity of the system design which enables quick deliveries," he wrote.

He wrote: “One thought for everyone: if a system were fundamentally unfair, it would not consistently attract and retain so many people who choose to work within it," Goyal said, warning against “narratives pushed by vested interests”.

He urged critics to speak directly with delivery partners to understand their motivations. “If you’ve ever wanted to know why millions of Indians voluntarily take up platform work and sometimes even prefer it to regular jobs, just ask any rider partner when you get your next food or grocery order," he said, adding, “You will be humbled by how rational and honest they will be with you."

He earlier wrote that the surge in deliveries came without any additional incentives beyond what is typically offered on New Year’s Eve. “Over 4.5 lakh delivery partners showed up for work," he said, calling the scale of participation “significant” and dismissing claims that the strike reflected widespread discontent.

No system is perfect

While defending the platform model, Goyal conceded that improvements are needed. “No system is perfect, and we are all for making it better than today," he said, adding that the gig economy is “far from what it is being portrayed on social media by people who don’t understand how our system works and why".

“If I were outside the system, I would also believe that gig workers are being exploited, but that’s not true," he added.

Small group at play

In a separate post, Goyal alleged that the strike disruptions were driven by a small group rather than the wider workforce. He wrote: "Most of our delivery partners did not want to go on a strike yesterday. The 0.1% miscreants I mentioned in the tweet below were illegally snatching parcels from those who wanted to work, beating them up, and threatening to damage their bikes. Which is why local law authorities had to intervene on their own."

He further claimed: "So who were these riders who were creating this trouble? Largely the ones who were terminated by the system for repeated abuse and fraud on the platform… These individuals want to arm twist us to let them back on to the platforms… and are perhaps being supported and instigated by politically motivated individuals who just want to stir up chaos for media mileage."

Goyal’s comments come amid intensifying scrutiny of gig work conditions, even as platforms argue that scale, flexibility and choice continue to attract workers across India.