“Delivery Agents Not Overworked”: Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal Defends Gig Work Model

Zomato co-founder and CEO Deepinder Goyal has strongly defended the company’s gig work model amid criticism and delivery partner strikes held on December 25 and 31, laying out a five-point rebuttal addressing pay, workload, safety and welfare.

Pay and earnings

Responding to concerns over low wages, Goyal said hourly earnings for delivery partners increased in 2025.

• Average earnings per hour (excluding tips): ₹102 in 2025, up from ₹92 in 2024 — a 10.9% year-on-year rise.

• A full-time equivalent of 10 hours a day for 26 days would translate to ~₹26,500 gross per month, or ~₹21,000 net after fuel and maintenance costs.

He also highlighted that 100% of customer tips go directly to delivery partners, with no deductions and instant transfers.

“Not overworked”

Goyal stressed that gig work is meant to be supplementary income, not a traditional full-time job.

• In 2025, the average partner worked just 38 days in the year, for about 7 hours per working day.

• Only 2.3% worked more than 250 days annually.

He argued that demands for benefits like PF or guaranteed salaries do not align with a flexible gig model, where partners choose when, where and how long they work.

10-minute delivery and safety

Addressing concerns that fast deliveries encourage risky driving, Goyal said delivery partners do not see customer-facing timers and are not pressured by countdowns.

• Average Blinkit delivery distance: ~2 km, with an average driving time of 8 minutes (~16 km/h).

• On Zomato, average speeds were ~21 km/h, despite longer delivery windows.

He acknowledged road safety challenges but called it a shared responsibility involving infrastructure, enforcement, customers and partners.

Welfare spending

Goyal said Zomato and Blinkit spent over ₹100 crore in 2025 on insurance coverage for delivery partners, fully funded by the company. Benefits include:

• Accident insurance up to ₹10 lakh

• Medical insurance, including hospitalisation and OPD

• Loss-of-pay and maternity insurance

Support beyond insurance

Additional initiatives include:

• Two paid rest days per month for women delivery partners

• Income tax filing support (used by over 95,000 partners)

• Access to a gig-specific National Pension Scheme (over 54,000 enrolled)

• An SOS emergency service for accidents, breakdowns or theft

Concluding his defence, Goyal asked: “Now tell me, is this unfair?”