Zomato's Deepinder Goyal makes fresh comments defending gig economy: 'Suddenly, the poor aren't hidden away'

As the explosive rise of quick commerce in India continues to trigger debates, the sector has found itself at the centre of conversations ranging from political commentary to widespread criticism on social media.

While political leaders such as Raghav Chadha have raised concerns, netizens have also taken aim at delivery platforms such as Blinkit, Zepto and Instamart. Amid this growing scrutiny, Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal has emerged as a prominent public voice, stepping forward to defend the quick-commerce model.

In a detailed post on X (formerly Twitter), Goyal reiterated his view that the gig economy did not create inequality, but merely ‘exposed’ it to the people who previously had the privilege of not confronting it.

Elaborating on this argument, he wrote, “This is the first time in history at this scale that the working class and consuming class interact face-to-face, transaction after transaction. And that discomfort with our own selves is why we are uncomfortable about the gig economy. We want these people to look our part, so that the guilt we feel while taking orders from them feels less.”

Zomato's top executive links these debates to guilt

He went beyond logistics and profits and framed the gig economy as a social mirror, arguing that for centuries, class divides kept the labour of the poor invisible to the rich. Meanwhile, the wealthy consumed the outcomes of this labour without ever confronting the faces or the fatigue behind it.

There was no direct encounter, and therefore, no personal guilt, he said, adding that now, as the poor are no longer hidden away and walk up to our doorsteps, people are forced to confront that ‘guilt’. “That ₹800 order might equal their entire day's earnings after fuel, bike rent, and app cuts. We tip awkwardly, or avoid eye contact, because the inequality is no longer abstract. It's personal.”

Deepinder Goyal also noted that before the gig era, the rich enjoyed luxury without ‘moral discomfort’ as labour was out of sight. However, with the introduction of the gig economy, now, “every doorbell ring is a reminder of systemic inequality. That's why debates explode”.

‘Ban gig work you don’t solve inequality…but’

The core of his argument states that banning gig work does not solve inequality but instead removes livelihoods.

According to Goyal, such jobs do not automatically become formal, protected employment; rather, they disappear, or are pushed back into the informal economy where protections are weaker and accountability is even lower.

“Over-regulate it until the model breaks, and you achieve the same outcome through paperwork instead of slogans: the work evaporates, prices rise, demand collapses, and the people we claim to protect are the first to lose income,” he said in support of gig work.

His comments come just 2 days after delivery workers linked e-commerce platforms held protests across several cities, demanding better pay, safer working conditions and social security benefits.

Centre's new draft rules float social security for gig workers

While the debate around gig work intensifies, the government pre-published draft rules on the four labour codes on Thursday, outlining the eligibility of benefits for gig and platform workers.

As per the draft rules, gig or platform workers must be engaged as one “for not less than 90 days with an aggregator, or in the case of multiple aggregators, not less than one hundred and twenty days, in the last financial year,” to get access to the benefits of the labour codes, Mint reported earlier.

The four labour codes, including the Code on Wages, 2019, the Industrial Relations Code, 2020, the Code on Social Security, 2020, and the Occupational Safety, Health, and Working Conditions Code, 2020, were notified on Thursday.

This is the first time in India that the new Labour Codes have formally recognised gig workers, bringing them under a national social security net.