‘Half knowledge is dangerous’: Info Edge founder backs Deepinder Goyal amid gig worker pay row

As the debate over gig worker pay and working conditions intensifies on social media, Sanjeev Bikhchandani, Founder and Executive Vice-Chairman of Info Edge, has come out strongly in support of Zomato founder Deepinder Goyal, backing the company’s data-driven defence of delivery partner earnings and operational practices. 

Sharing Goyal’s detailed post breaking down delivery partner earnings, Bikhchandani said he welcomed the public disclosure of data and stressed that worker welfare is not treated lightly within company boardrooms. 

“Thanks for putting out these details in public @deepigoyal,” Bikhchandani wrote on X. “I can testify to the fact that discussions on delivery partner welfare and fair compensation occupy a significant percentage of the time in Board meetings. The management and the board are bothered about these.” 

He added that those leading online campaigns against gig platforms had alternatives to social media activism. “The people who ran this campaign and unsuccessfully tried to organise a strike could have written or come over and asked for this information and got it and had a discussion. However they preferred to instead launch a campaign on social media — it suited them and their political agenda better,” he said. 

‘Half knowledge is dangerous’ 

In a series of posts, Bikhchandani pushed back against what he described as selective reading of earnings data, arguing that averages often fail to capture the flexible nature of gig work. 

“This is the problem with half knowledge. It is dangerous and misleading,” he wrote. “The very nature of gig work is that it is not full time. There will be people who will work two hours and there will be people who will work once in three days, and there will be people who will put in ten hours a day seven days a week.” 

According to Bikhchandani, this flexibility directly affects how earnings data should be interpreted. “People have a choice to work how much they want. So if the average payout is seemingly low it is because a large number of gig workers don’t put in eight hours a day five or six days a week. They put in less time. This brings the average down,” he said. 

His comments echo Goyal’s recent attempt to contextualise hourly earnings, incentives and work patterns of delivery partners, as food delivery and quick-commerce platforms face mounting scrutiny over pay structures, safety and social security. 

Sharp criticism of ‘selective outrage’ 

Bikhchandani also took a swipe at critics of gig platforms, accusing some of ideological posturing and hypocrisy. In a sharply worded post endorsing Goyal’s arguments, he said, “Very well written @deepigoyal. Every word is true.” 

He went on to criticise what he described as “Champagne Socialists” expressing outrage over alleged exploitation. “It beggars belief that a Champagne Socialist who married a film star and had a designer wedding in Udaipur and a first wedding anniversary in Maldives has the audacity to then shed crocodile tears around alleged exploitation of gig workers. Aam Aadmi my foot,” he wrote. 

The remarks underline how the gig economy debate has increasingly taken on political and ideological overtones, with founders and investors pushing back against narratives they believe ignore operational realities. 

Defending the 10-minute delivery model 

Bikhchandani also addressed concerns around ultra-fast deliveries and rider safety, particularly in relation to Blinkit’s 10-minute delivery promise. Countering claims that speed targets force riders to take risks, he pointed to the role of store density rather than rider behaviour. 

“It will be useful to check on the Blinkit app how far the store is from your home. In my case it is 400 metres. That is how I get the delivery in under 10 mins,” he wrote. “The riders are not forced to take risks.” 

He further noted that many delivery vehicles are not capable of high speeds and often do not even use main roads. His comments aligned with Goyal’s clarification that delivery partners do not see customer-facing delivery timers on their apps and are not instructed to rush.