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Zomato's Deepinder Goyal has pushed back against criticism around quick commerce, gig work conditions and leadership churn, arguing that many of the debates around the company—from 10-minute delivery pressure to allegations of worker exploitation—misunderstand how the platform actually operates.

Speaking on a podcast, Goyal offered a wide-ranging defence of Zomato and Blinkit’s business model, addressed why five co-founders have exited over the years, and responded to concerns related to gig workers and economy as concerns regarding 10 minutes delivery model grows.

Goyal said exits at the top were not signs of instability but a natural outcome of long entrepreneurial journeys. “We need a founder's mindset in the organisation,” he said, explaining that the label “co-founder” should not be confused with permanence. According to him, Zomato rewards employees who show ownership, accountability and long-term thinking, which is why some late-joining leaders were informally referred to as founders.

He rejected the idea that co-founders left due to capability gaps. “They were co-founders because they were really good and had that mindset,” Goyal said. “But when they left, other things came into the picture. It had nothing to do with them being founders.”

Referring to early co-founder Pankaj Chaddah, Goyal said leadership styles can diverge over time, calling it a normal outcome of building a large organisation. Burnout, he added, is real. “That also happens,” he said, noting that exits are not always permanent. “Over Zomato's lifetime, more than 100 people have left and come back.” “Everybody has their energy cycle. Life happens, priorities change,” Goyal said. “But the organisation's priority cannot change for a person.”

He also acknowledged missteps in how exits were handled. Goyal admitted that he has lost his temper with senior leaders in the past, sometimes asking them to leave in moments of anger. Recalling one such episode with a senior product leader, he said: “You don't belong here. Get out.”

“Nine out of ten times when I regret it, I call and apologise,” he added.

Although the podcast was recorded before recent protests by gig worker unions, Goyal’s remarks have resurfaced amid intensifying scrutiny of platform companies, as he mentioned that Zomato terminates close to 5,000 delivery partners every month due to fraud, while around 1.5 to 2 lakh workers leave voluntarily. According to Goyal, delivery partners can earn more than Rs 25,000 a month by working eight to ten hours a day, six days a week.

Unions such as the Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union (TGPWA) and the Gig and Platform Services Workers Union (GIPSWU) have contested these claims, alleging inadequate pay, long working hours and lack of social security.

Also Read: Deepinder Goyal trying to save himself? Gig workers say Zomato pay ‘not decent work,’ reject CEO’s claims

Goyal, however, framed the issue as a generational shift rather than short-term income arithmetic. “The security of feeding their kids well, right? They can send their kids to school. Okay? They didn’t have this before, where they didn’t know if they could continuously afford their children’s education or not,” he said.

“What we have done is make sure these people don’t worry about that anymore. They are always able to continuously send their kids to school,” he added.

He argued that Zomato can only pay up to a point. “We can only pay so much. Right? Beyond that, economics don’t work. Business also has to work. The business has to make money to be able to do more things. Otherwise, the system just stops here.”

Goyal said the real impact would be visible decades later. “The opportunity we are creating is not for them but for their children,” he said, calling it a generational change.

“We’re saying millions of people’s futures will change generationally,” he added. “And I don’t think there’s any other company that has done this in India so far.”

Addressing accusations of exploitation, Goyal argued that platform work has forced India’s middle class to confront economic realities it rarely engaged with directly. “This is the first time that we have these two classes face-to-face. So now, the reality of India is visible. And people think we created this reality. No, we didn’t create it,” he said. “This is actually a better version of India’s reality that you are seeing because of us.”

Also Read: Zomato, Blinkit clock record orders on New Year’s Eve despite nationwide gig worker strike

Goyal also rejected claims that delivery partners are under pressure to meet aggressive delivery timelines, especially after an MP recently called for a ban on 10-minute deliveries, citing rider deaths and unsafe driving.

“First of all, none of our delivery partners at Blinkit or Zomato have ever been given a timeline to deliver by a certain time. There is no 10-minute timer. Absolutely not,” he said.

According to him, quick deliveries are driven by infrastructure density, not human pressure. “10 minutes is enabled by the density of stores. They are just so close to you,” he said, noting that Delhi NCR alone has more than 400 Blinkit stores and an average packing time of one minute and 40 seconds. “The timer you see is the one that says, ‘6 minutes’ or ‘7 minutes’ — that’s just for you. The delivery boy doesn’t see it,” Goyal said.

He added that riders face no per-delivery pressure and can log in and out freely. “People even come and work for one hour, or one hour and a half. Students come… They make two deliveries while coming,” he said. Goyal also pushed back against the idea that quick commerce is responsible for traffic violations.

“People jump red lights. Why? Because there’s no time pressure. No one’s holding a gun to their head,” he said, arguing that such behaviour is widespread and not unique to delivery workers. “If only Zomato or Blinkit riders were doing it, I would take the blame. But it’s not just us,” he added.

Shrishti Bisht is a journalist at Zee Biz, where she covers business, markets, startups, IPOs, and global developments, with a focused interest in how artificial intelligence is