Zomato founder and CEO Deepinder Goyal launched a comprehensive defence of India's gig economy through detailed posts on X on January 3, 2026, firmly arguing that outright bans or heavy-handed regulations on platform-based work would not eradicate inequality but instead eradicate critical income sources for millions of workers currently engaged in delivery and related services.

Goyal posited that societal discomfort with gig labour transcends mere economic concerns and represents a profound moral confrontation, as the model has dramatically increased the visibility of low-wage workers by bringing them directly into consumer interactions at doorsteps, unlike historical patterns where such labour remained concealed in backrooms or informal sectors away from affluent eyes.

He underscored the sector's resilience by citing uninterrupted operations during recent delivery partner strike calls, revealing that Zomato and its quick-commerce arm Blinkit processed a record-breaking 75 lakh orders delivered by over 4.5 lakh partners to 63 lakh customers on New Year's Eve, achieved without supplementary incentives and supported by local law enforcement to counter reported intimidation.

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Goyal warned against over-regulation, explaining that elevated compliance costs would inevitably suppress consumer demand, contract the scale of opportunities, and force workers back into opaque informal economies characterised by even fewer safeguards, lower accountability, and diminished public scrutiny over conditions.

Acknowledging legitimate worker demands for improved earnings, safety measures and social security, Goyal advocated harnessing the newfound visibility to drive meaningful reforms rather than succumbing to calls for dismantling the system, framing the choice as one between proactive enhancement of existing platforms or regressive moral posturing that ultimately harms the very workers it claims to protect.

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