Bengaluru man defends Zomato after working as a rider for a day: ‘Some income is better than no income’
A Bengaluru man who recently tried his hand at food delivery is urging critics to look at the bigger picture. He claims that while people are quick to blame the platform’s leadership, they forget that, for many from Tier-3 cities, these apps provided jobs where previously there were none.
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“I became a Zomato delivery partner for one day, and it changed how I see this debate. People blaming Deepinder Goyal seem to forget what life was like before Zomato,” wrote Nikhil Kumar. His post came amid the ongoing tensions over allegations by gig workers about the exploitative nature of their work.
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He argued that food delivery or quick commerce platforms have opened up opportunities for people to move from remote locations to cities and start earning.
Though he acknowledged that gig work is far from being perfect, he added that it is better than having no job. The individual further agreed that there should be better pay and safety models.
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Kumar stated that, in addition to delivery riders, it also gave small restaurants an option to reach a wider customer base.
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Kumar stated that, in addition to delivery riders, it also gave small restaurants an option to reach a wider customer base.
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“But saying these platforms only harm people is not the full truth. Many small restaurants survive today because delivery apps exist. They don’t need expensive locations or big marketing anymore. Criticise what is wrong, but don’t ignore what worked. The reality is simple: some income is better than no income. For many people, Zomato didn’t take jobs away. It gave them one.”
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“But saying these platforms only harm people is not the full truth. Many small restaurants survive today because delivery apps exist. They don’t need expensive locations or big marketing anymore. Criticise what is wrong, but don’t ignore what worked. The reality is simple: some income is better than no income. For many people, Zomato didn’t take jobs away. It gave them one.”
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HT.com has reached out to Nikhil Kumar, this report will be updated once he responds.
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HT.com has reached out to Nikhil Kumar, this report will be updated once he responds.
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What did social media say?
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What did social media say?
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Agreeing, an individual wrote, “Not to forget the Cloud kitchens/Home cooks who started earning extra, that is also a big plus.” Another added, “For the short term, it is good, but for a delivery partner to see it as a long-term job prospect is a problem. Consider it as ‘low hanging fruits’ on which delivery partners rely, which surely provides them with some money to fulfil their basic needs, but it also hinders their growth as they are getting basic necessities and won’t bother to work much harder for a better living.”
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A third posted, “The debate misses the counterfactual. Gig work isn’t perfect, but the alternative for many wasn’t a better job; it was no job. And that’s very true. We should push for safer, fairer systems without pretending these platforms didn’t unlock income, mobility, and choice at scale. Nuance matters more than outrage. Thanks for sharing this.”
A fourth commented, “Totally agree that context matters, but I’m curious how we balance this flexibility with better digital safety nets for gig workers who rely entirely on these platforms.”
(Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.)
