The food delivery market has seen tremendous shifts in the last decade. What once meant a phone call to a local restaurant has now become a few taps on a smartphone app. Applications such as Zomato and Swiggy, among others, have established an enormous digital space that brings all the key stakeholders together in real time. This has been further advanced by quick commerce, which involves ultra-fast delivery services for groceries, further blurring the lines between food delivery and logistics services.
However, along with all this convenience and growth, a debate has sprung up regarding the working conditions and rights of these delivery partners, without whom this whole system would not have functioned. Strikes by gig workers, such as delivery workers logging out of apps on December 25th and December 31st, again ended up giving attention to this whole platform-working business as a whole. As a result, Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal shared a five-part post on his X (formerly Twitter) account, describing the perspective of the company regarding profits, flexibility, safety, and the welfare of the delivery partners.
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Deepinder Goyal shares facts related to the income of gig workers
The first topic discussed by Goyal in the initial thread of his posts is the contentious topic of earnings of delivery partners. According to him, the average earnings per hour (EPH) of a Zomato delivery partner in 2025 is Rs 102, without tips. It is observed that it increased from last year’s Rs 92 in 2024; that is a jump of 10.9%.
Furthermore, he stated that if a delivery partner works for 10 hours a day and 26 days a month, it will result in a total gross income of approximately Rs 26,500 a month. After deducting the fuel and maintenance charges, estimated to be around 20%, the net income will be approximately Rs 21,000.
Goyal clarified that these numbers are computed on the total number of hours worked, encompassing the waiting period for the next order. Furthermore, delivery partners also take home 100% of the tips received from the customers.
Facts below (1/5):
In 2025, average earnings per hour (EPH), excluding tips, for a delivery partner on Zomato were ₹102.
In 2024, this number was ₹92. That’s a ~10.9% year-on-year increase. Over a longer horizon also, EPH has shown steady growth.Most delivery partners work…
— Deepinder Goyal (@deepigoyal) January 2, 2026
Deepinder Goyal busted the myth that gig work is full-time
In response to allegations regarding overwork, Goyal pointed to data that contradicts claims delivery partners were coerced into full-time labor. According to Zomato’s internal numbers, the average delivery partner worked only 38 days in 2025, with an average of 7 hours per working day. Only 2.3% of delivery partners reportedly worked for more than 250 days in the year. Goyal used this statistic to counter demands for full-time employment benefits such as a provident fund (PF) or guaranteed salaries.
However, he emphasized that the delivery personnel are not assigned a fixed working time or place. They get to decide when to log in, where to deliver, and for how long. Stressing the fact that the structure of the platform facilitates the ability to opt in and out, Goyal says,
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Flexibility isn’t incidental to the gig model, it is the whole point.
Delivery partners are not overworked on our platforms. (2/5)
In 2025, the average delivery partner on Zomato worked 38 days in the year and 7 hours per working day, reflecting true gig style participation rather than fixed schedules. Only 2.3% of partners worked more than 250…
— Deepinder Goyal (@deepigoyal) January 2, 2026
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Zomato busted another myth that 10-minute delivery encourages unsafe driving
The most visible criticism against quick-commerce platforms has been the fear that 10-minute delivery promises create incentives for delivery partners to drive recklessly. On this, Goyal said categorically that such timelines do not make for unsafe working conditions. He said that the delivery partners are not shown customer-facing delivery timers and, therefore, operate without any countdown pressure. About fast deliveries, he claimed that they were the result of shorter distances, not increased speed.
He said that the difference between 10-minute and 30-minute deliveries was due to store proximity, not road behavior. Still, he admitted that road safety continues to be a common challenge that requires cooperation in terms of infrastructure, enforcement, customers, and delivery partners.
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Quick commerce’s 10-minute promise DOES NOT put pressure on gig workers, and it DOESN’T lead to unsafe driving. Why? (3/5)
The most common concern is that faster delivery promises translate into pressure on delivery partners to drive unsafely. That isn’t how the system operates.…
— Deepinder Goyal (@deepigoyal) January 2, 2026
Deepinder Goyal opens up about gig workers getting benefits
In the fourth and fifth parts of his thread, Goyal mentioned welfare programs undertaken by Zomato and Blinkit. According to him, in 2025 alone, the platform spent more than Rs 100 crore on insurance cover for delivery partners, paying full premiums on behalf of the companies. Insurance benefits include accident coverage up to Rs 10 lakh, medical insurance of Rs 1 lakh with Rs 5,000 OPD coverage, loss of pay insurance up to Rs 50,000, and maternity insurance up to Rs 40,000.
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Gig workers GET welfare benefits AND long term support. (4/5)
In 2025, Zomato and Blinkit spent over ₹100 crore on insurance coverage for delivery partners. These premiums are borne entirely by us, and the benefits are administered with record speed without any fuss.
Coverage…
— Deepinder Goyal (@deepigoyal) January 2, 2026
Besides insurance, Zomato has also introduced several other support mechanisms. These include two rest days per month for women delivery partners, assistance with income tax filing, and access to a gig-specific National Pension Scheme (NPS). According to Goyal, more than 95,000 partners used the tax-filing support, while 54,000 signed up for NPS for long-term retirement planning.
Beyond insurance, we’ve added other forms of support where gaps are most visible. (5/5)
1. Period rest days of 2 days per month for women delivery partner
2. Support in filing income tax returns (95,000 delivery partners leveraged this)
3. Access to a gig-variant of National…— Deepinder Goyal (@deepigoyal) January 2, 2026
Zomato pushes back at the criticism, asking if all this is truly unfair
To conclude his thread, Goyal asked a direct question of those who are critical of this model, wondering if this model can be deemed exploitative, given that this is a “largely part-time, unskilled, and with zero barriers to entry” kind of role.
Now tell me, is this unfair? Especially for an unskilled job, which is largely part time, and has zero barriers to entry.
— Deepinder Goyal (@deepigoyal) January 2, 2026
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How did netizens react to his thread?
While his comments have sparked renewed debate online, labor activists and netizens continue to argue that gig workers deserve stronger legal protections, minimum pay guarantees, and clearer accountability from platforms. In the comment section of this thread, while many supported the CEO’s assertions, others highlighted that reality is always different from what everything seems in the records.
Have a look at some of the reactions:
Everyone screaming
GIG WORKERS ARE UNDERPAID!
Generously tip your delivery person.
Problem solved.
— Prakash Dadlani (@prakdadlani) January 2, 2026
Facts > slogans.
₹100+ crore insurance, accident + medical + maternity cover, NPS access, SOS support, rising hourly earnings — all paid by the platform.
If this is “exploitation,” name one informal job in India offering more with this flexibility.
Narratives collapse when…— Himanshu Jain (@HemanNamo) January 2, 2026
Most workers working in factories and labor-related jobs earn around 20K per month, which aligns with gig worker earnings as well.
This is true for most parts of India, as 90% or 95% earn less than 25K, according to many available surveys
— Dhaval (Investment Books) (@InvestmentBook1) January 2, 2026
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Something is definitely cooking, no one asked for these details but still you are giving these details.
It’s really good that you are being transparent!
— Uttkarsh Singh (@Uttupaaji) January 3, 2026
कमिया हर काम में होती है। संवाद ही समाधान का रास्ता है। Gig Worker को लगता है कि जो मिल रहा है उसमें कुछ और जुड़ना चाहिए तो अपनी बात अच्छे तरीके से रखनी चाहिए बजाय हड़ताल के@deepigoyal ने जो आकड़े दिये है, उससे मान सकते है कि GIG Workers — UnSkilled को ठीक ठाक पैसा मिल रहा है
— Dilip Jain (दिलीप जैन) 🇮🇳 (@dilipjain1979) January 2, 2026
Bro that’s literally less than $10 a day. You are flexing that your business model is built on paying people less than $10 a day.
— Gaurav Sabnis (@gauravsabnis) January 3, 2026
What do you think about this controversy? Do share your thoughts with us in the comment section of this article.
