Zomato’s Deepinder Goyal responds to Dhruv Rathee, agrees to share fact sheet on gig workers’ average hourly earnings
Amid the ongoing debate over the wages and working conditions of workers in India, the exchange between popular YouTuber Dhruv Rathee and Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal has garnered a lot of attention on social media.
The entire conversation took place on X (formerly Twitter), where Goyal defended the current wage structure of gig workers. But his stance was opposed by Rathee, who demanded greater transparency from the top executive, including disclosure of how much the company’s delivery workers earn on an hourly basis.
As scrutiny of the gig economy continues to intensify, Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal has emerged as a key public voice coming forward to defend the gig commerce model.
What was the conversation about?
Deepinder Goyal took to social media to address the constant talk about workers’ compensation. He argued that while “everyone with a job wants to get paid more,” wages are ultimately determined by market forces.
Goyal highlighted the “cutthroat” competition between gig economy-based companies and claimed that demand for delivery partners is currently greater than supply, so gig incomes are higher than many entry-level formal sector jobs in India.
This narrative was quickly countered by Dhruv Rathee, who demanded concrete data to support these claims. Zomato pressured Goyal to share the average hourly earnings of its delivery workers. “Let people compare whether this is more than formal entry-level jobs (sic),” Rathee commented.
The promise of an “information document”
In response to Rathee’s demand for transparency, Goyal promised to provide a detailed breakdown. “I will be releasing a fact sheet tomorrow,” he said, adding that the document should help observers understand the nuances of how job compensation is structured.
This exchange took place shortly after several delivery workers associated with e-commerce platforms staged protests in various cities, demanding better wages, safer working conditions and social security benefits.
Over the past two days, Deepinder Goyal has shared several posts on X in defense of the gig economy and gig trading model. In his posts, Goyal argued that these platforms provide livelihood opportunities to people from economically weaker segments who would otherwise be unemployed.
Netizens react to the swap
Users on X seemed divided on the exchange. While some urged Goyal to refrain from interacting with the YouTuber, others questioned his views on gig economics and countered his claims.
“Guys, no matter the reason, let them be busy with work, a worker is feeding a family, understand the effects (sic),” one netizen commented.
Another person alleged that gig workers were subjected to exploitation in the name of employment and said, “Sir ji, that article said, if someone is an orphan and you host him in your home, this gives you the right to exploit him. Even if you agree? Aap job de rhe hai, eska ye matbal nhi hai ki aap exploit kijiyega (sic).”
One person also said: “No one needs a memo! Share the money a worker earns if he only works one hour or 6 hours a day!”
