‘Stories like this…’: Deepinder Goyal praises student’s journey from Blinkit gig work to Zomato designer

A LinkedIn post by a fourth-year design student has struck a chord across platforms, after he shared his remarkable journey from working as a picker at Blinkit to joining Zomato as a designer. The story gained wider attention when Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal responded with appreciation — and later amplified it on X (formally twitter), writing, “Stories like this make all of it absolutely worth it.” 

Atharv Singh, who introduced himself as a design student funding his own education without family support, recounted how financial constraints once pushed him to a point where he struggled to make ends meet. “Life really comes in full circle,” he wrote in his post addressed to Goyal. “I had to manage my own funds for college fees and rent and other expenses as my dad didn't support my education.” 

Singh said that during one particularly difficult period, he stumbled upon a Blinkit recruitment ad on Instagram. He quickly joined a dark store as a picker — a role involving sorting and readying orders — and worked there for four months. The experience, he said, became a turning point.

“There was a time when I was not able to earn anything and life was still asking for more,” he wrote. “Then an Instagram ad about Blinkit popped — truly life-changing… life just kept getting better ever since.” 

That journey came full circle this week as Singh shared that he is now joining Zomato’s design team. “Really grateful for what you've built and absolutely lucky to be a part of this,” he wrote. “Just 1% done. This Blinkit boy will now deliver design at Zomato.” 

Goyal, who responded with a heart emoji and the message, “Thanks for sharing your story. Lit me up,” later posted on X celebrating the note. Goyal currently leads multiple companies under Eternal, including Zomato, Blinkit, Continue, Temple, and LAT Aerospace. 

In a follow-up post Singh, acknowledged Goyal's response and wrote, “Absolutely grateful ❤️ Thank you so much for sharing. See you in the office! (Please pinch me when I see you) 😭”.

Singh’s post reflects a larger shift within India’s expanding tech-enabled gig and service sectors, where young workers often move fluidly between frontline operations and skilled roles — a mobility increasingly seen as a marker of opportunity within new-age companies.