As the controversy over gig employee pay, security and social safety continues to rage on social media, Zomato founder and CEO Deepinder Goyal has doubled down on his defence of the gig economic system mannequin, releasing a contemporary set of knowledge factors to counter allegations of overwork, unsafe supply timelines and lack of welfare for supply companions on Zomato and Blinkit.
In an in depth multi-part publish, Goyal argued that gig work on Zomato’s platforms is basically designed for flexibility, supplementary earnings and autonomy — not as an alternative to full-time employment — and that demanding conventional worker advantages dangers misunderstanding the mannequin itself.
‘True gig-style participation, not fastened schedules’
Addressing claims that supply companions are overworked, Goyal stated platform information from 2025 exhibits the alternative. In keeping with him, the common Zomato supply accomplice labored simply 38 days in all the yr, logging about seven hours per working day. Solely 2.3% of companions labored greater than 250 days yearly.
“Demanding full-time worker advantages like PF or assured salaries for gig roles doesn’t align with what the mannequin is constructed for,” Goyal wrote, emphasising that supply companions select when and the place they work. There are not any assigned shifts, obligatory hours or fastened geographies, he stated, and companions are free to log out and in at will.
This, Goyal argued, demonstrates that supply work features primarily as a secondary or stop-gap earnings supply fairly than a long-term lock-in. “Flexibility isn’t incidental to the gig mannequin, it’s the complete level,” he stated.
Debunking the ‘10-minute supply stress’ argument
Goyal additionally pushed again towards considerations that fast commerce and 10-minute supply guarantees encourage unsafe driving. He stated supply companions are usually not proven customer-facing time commitments and don’t function with countdown timers of their apps.
In keeping with Zomato’s inside information, quicker deliveries on Blinkit are pushed by proximity of shops, not by greater speeds on the highway. In 2025, the common distance per Blinkit order was 2.03 km, with a median driving time of round eight minutes — translating to a median pace of roughly 16 kmph. On Zomato, the place supply occasions are longer, common driving speeds had been about 21 kmph.
“The information exhibits that 10-minute versus 30-minute supply isn’t affected by driving pace,” Goyal stated, including that highway security stays a shared problem throughout logistics ecosystems, involving infrastructure, enforcement, prospects and supply companions alike.
Welfare spending and long-term help
On welfare, Goyal stated Zomato and Blinkit collectively spent over ₹100 crore in 2025 on insurance coverage protection for supply companions, with premiums absolutely borne by the corporate. Protection contains accident insurance coverage of as much as ₹10 lakh, medical insurance coverage of ₹1 lakh with OPD advantages, loss-of-pay insurance coverage as much as ₹50,000, and maternity insurance coverage as much as ₹40,000.
Past insurance coverage, Goyal listed further help measures launched by the platforms, together with two paid relaxation days monthly for ladies supply companions, earnings tax submitting help utilized by 95,000 companions, entry to a gig-specific Nationwide Pension Scheme variant with over 54,000 enrollments, and an SOS service for emergencies reminiscent of accidents, breakdowns or theft.
Ending his publish, Goyal requested critics to reassess their assumptions: “Now inform me, is that this unfair? Particularly for an unskilled job, which is basically part-time, and has zero boundaries to entry?”
