Blinkit drops “10-minute delivery” claim after labour ministry intervention. This and more in today’s ETtech Top 5.
Also in the letter:
■ TCS headcount falls
■ GCC’s senior hiring lag
■ ETtech Done Deals
Blinkit removes ‘10-minute delivery‘ claim on govt’s orders; Swiggy, Zepto may follow suit
Eternal-owned Blinkit has pulled the controversial “10-minute” delivery promise from its app, after a nudge from the Union Labour Ministry, in a move that could ripple across India’s quick commerce industry.
Safety first: Union labour minister Mansukh Mandaviya met Blinkit, Zepto, and Swiggy Instamart executives, asking them to drop time-bound branding. The minister said such claims create “undue pressure” on gig workers and raise safety risks.
- This meeting followed nationwide strikes by worker unions on December 25 and 31, protesting unsafe working conditions tied to ultra-fast delivery models.
Also Read: Gig workers’ strike revives debate on 10-minute delivery
On the defence: During the meeting, platforms argued that riders are not shown delivery timers and are not pushed to speed, sources told us. What makes the delivery fast, they said, is dense dark-store networks and tightly engineered backend workflows.
“We also walked them through how these orders are delivered quickly…and the amount of backend work involved, from picking and packing, to tech systems and distance calculations,” one of the company executives at the meeting said.
Also Read: Gig workers’ strike: Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal defends 10-minute deliveries
What about ops: Executives said that removing the claim will not change how the system works on the ground.
“There are cases where a dark store is located within 200 metres of the customer. In such situations, deliveries are made within four to five minutes,” the person said.
Companies, he added, already optimise routes, building entry points and society gates to shave crucial seconds off the delivery timeline.
Also Read: ETtech Explainer: Inside the 10-minute delivery model of quick commerce
Opinion: Nothing Dickensian about gig work
The gig workers’ strike planned for December 25 and 31, 2025, may have failed to attract significant participation, but it has sparked debate over workers’ welfare and rights.
Unfortunately, much of this debate rests on a flawed premise: economic viability of platform companies and the welfare of gig workers are orthogonal. This reflects a misunderstanding of the role that platform companies play, and of constraints, incentives and agency that characterise gig work.
Read the full opinion piece here.
Google and Apple enter into multi-year AI deal for Gemini models
Apple has signed a multi-year partnership with Google to use Gemini models across its rebuilt Siri and Apple Intelligence stack, vaulting Alphabet to the centre of the consumer-AI race.
The Gemini integration: In a joint statement, Apple said Google’s technology is “the most capable foundation” for its needs. Gemini will power the next generation of Siri as well as a range of future on-device and cloud-based intelligence features, giving Google access to Apple’s installed base of more than two billion active devices worldwide.
Alphabet’s milestone: Alphabet on Monday crossed a $4 trillion market capitalisation, joining a rare group of tech giants to hit the mark.
- The Apple deal announcement cemented Alphabet as Wall Street’s second-most valuable company, surpassing Apple for the first time since 2019.
- Only Nvidia, Microsoft, and Apple have previously crossed the $4 trillion mark.
Blow to OpenAI: The partnership dents OpenAI’s position on Apple devices.
- While ChatGPT remains available for specific tasks, Gemini will sit at the core of Siri and Apple Intelligence.
- Analysts see OpenAI moving into a more “supporting role,” as Google becomes Apple’s default AI layer.
The shift comes as Google’s Gemini 3 has forced rivals into rapid response mode (read OpenAI’s “code red”) across the industry.
TCS headcount drops by 11,000 in Q3 after 19,000 in last quarter
India’s largest IT services firm, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), continued to shrink its workforce during the October to December quarter, marking a second consecutive period of net reductions.
Headcount details: TCS cut 11,151 jobs in Q3, bringing its total employee base to 582,163 from 593,314 at the end of September.
- In the previous quarter, the company had already reported a sharper net decline of 19,755 employees.
- The back-to-back trims have pushed TCS’s workforce below the six-lakh mark for the first time in years.
TCS’s Q3: The staffing pullback came alongside a mixed financial performance in the December quarter.
- Net profit: Declined 14% year-on-year (YoY) to Rs 10,657 crore from Rs 12,380 crore last year.
- Revenue: Rose 5% YoY to Rs 67,087 crore from Rs 63,973 crore.
- Dividend: The company announced an interim dividend of Rs 57 per share for FY26, comprising a third interim dividend of Rs 11 and a special dividend of Rs 46.
Despite the softer profit print, TCS shares closed 0.9% higher at Rs 3,267.60 on the BSE on Tuesday.
Tier-II GCCs grapple with longer senior hiring cycles
Global Capability Centres (GCCs) are rethinking their expansion into Tier-II cities amid a shortage of senior technology talent, which is stretching hiring timelines and pushing companies back towards metro hubs and hybrid operating models.
What’s happening?
- Filling leadership roles in smaller cities is now taking more than 75 days, compared with 42–56 days in metro areas.
- For niche skills such as AI, cybersecurity, and cloud architecture, hiring delays in Tier-II cities often exceed 90 days.
- Recruiters say much of the slowdown happens even before interviews start.
Kapil Joshi, chief executive of Quess Corp, said the bottleneck is not weak demand but the thin supply of experienced professionals.
In deeptech segments such as defence technology, unmanned aerial vehicles and robotics, he warned that 40–45% of roles could stay unfilled unless companies invest in structured skilling programmes or move talent from larger cities.
What now? To stay competitive, GCCs are narrowing the pay gap between metros and Tier-II cities, offering higher premiums for scarce skills such as GenAI, ML Ops and cyber threat intelligence.
Also Read: Compliance hurdles weigh heavily on GCCs expanding to tier-II cities
Liquidnitro Games raises $19 million from Northpoint Capital, Nexus
Liquidnitro Games, a game development and live services company, has raised $19.1 million in a funding round led by Northpoint Capital, with participation from existing backer Nexus Venture Partners (NVP).
Fund usage: Cofounder Sandeep Kowdley said that the Hyderabad-based firm plans to use the capital to grow its AI-driven game production and live services platform, expand its presence in global markets and support joint investments with publishing partners. It also intends to hire more staff across teams and functions.
Previous funding: The company had previously raised a NVP-led $5.25 million seed round in 2024.
Actress Samantha Prabhu’s perfume brand Secret Alchemist secures $3 million from Unilever Ventures, others
Actress Samantha Ruth Prabhu-backed clean perfume brand, Secret Alchemist, has raised $3 million in a funding round led by Unilever Ventures, with participation from DSG Consumer Partners.
Funding details:
- The fundraising included a $2.5 million primary investment and the remaining in secondary capital, with angel investors exiting part of their holdings.
- The company will use the money to strengthen its branding and marketing efforts, expand its product portfolio, and build out its team.
