Gig worker strikes spark wider debate: Here’s how founders, leaders reacted

The new year began with an intensified debate around gig workers’ rights, triggered by nationwide union-led strikes on December 31 that called for fair and transparent pay, a guaranteed minimum wage and basic dignity at work.

While Zomato founder Deepinder Goyal took to X on January 1 to announce that over 4.5 lakh delivery partners across Zomato and Blinkit clocked record orders worth ₹75 lakh on New Year’s Eve, unions strongly contested the narrative.

Read more: New Year’s Eve strike by gig workers exposes cracks in India’s 10-minute delivery model

Goyal continued his quest to prove that delivery partners are not exploited by his platforms on the second day of the new year as well. In a thread of posts on January 2, he mentioned delivery partner earnings numbers and benefits to make his point.

Following this, reactions started flowing in from various industry experts, investors and economists.

Member of Rajya Sabha, Raghav Chadha said, "It’s tragic that millions of delivery riders who helped build instant-commerce companies into what they are today, are now forced to protest just to be heard."

I sat down with delivery riders of Zomato, Swiggy, Blinkit etc. This is not a rant. This is a conversation with those whose lives power our everyday comfort.

It’s tragic that millions of delivery riders who helped build instant-commerce companies into what they are today, are… pic.twitter.com/lcFKE8srfu

— Raghav Chadha (@raghav_chadha) January 2, 2026

He added, "The gig economy cannot become a guilt-free exploitation economy," saying that the platforms have succeeded because of "human sweat and labour' and not just because of algorithms.

Read more: Workplace rules that changed in 2025: Labour Codes, gig worker rights and HR policies that hit your job

While Chadha has been vocal about the issues of gig workers, former CEO of NITI Aayog, Amitabh Kant stood for the businesses saying, "Gig jobs are set to grow from 7.7M → 23.5M by 2030 — among India’s largest job-creation engines. Calling this 'exploitation' by folks who have not created a single job is political, not factual."

India’s gig & quick-commerce economy is consumer-led.

???????? Gig jobs are set to grow from 7.7M → 23.5M by 2030 — among India’s largest job-creation engines. Calling this “exploitation” by folks who have not created a single job is political, not factual.

On Dec 31 alone, Zomato…

— Amitabh Kant (@amitabhk87) January 2, 2026

Supporting Goyal, he added, "let markets work, strengthen safety nets — don’t sabotage innovation for political ends."

Goyal claimed that average earnings per hour (excluding tips) for Zomato's gig workers in 2025 stood at ₹103, up from ₹92 in 2024. "That’s a ~10.9% year-on-year increase. Over a longer horizon also, EPH has shown steady growth," he said.

Moreover, he said that they also get benefits including various kinds of insurances, period rest days for women, ITR filing support, access to pension schemes and SOS service for emergency.

He also brought in class division tothe discussion, which according to him "kept the labor of the poor invisible to the rich," adding, "The gig economy shattered that invisibility, at unprecedented scale."

Naukri.com founder, Sanjeev Bikhchandani stood with Goyal and wrote, "If beggars belief that a Champagne Socialist who married a film star and had a designer wedding in Udaipur and a first wedding anniversary in Maldives has the audacity to then shed crocodile tears around alleged exploitation of gig workers."

Very well written @deepigoyal Every word is true. It beggars belief that a Champagne Socialist who married a film star and had a designer wedding in Udaipur and a first wedding anniversary in Maldives has the audacity to then shed crocodile tears around alleged exploitation of… https://t.co/pgcTa0hwKy

— Sanjeev Bikhchandani (@sbikh) January 2, 2026

While some stood with the Q-commerce companies, some disagreed. Vineeth K, founder of Deal Dhamaka highlighted the wealth gap between the CEOs of quick-commerce and e-commerce companies and the gig wokers adding that "the very gig workers who built these platforms are forced to go on strike just to secure minimum livelihood.

"So let’s not bring in the “invisibility” or “class guilt” argument here," he said.

"Calling this an 'emotional reckoning of the consuming class' cleverly shifts the conversation away from accountability. This isn’t about guilt at the doorbell. It’s about value capture," he explained.

"When platforms scale, margins improve, valuations explode, and founders get rich but payouts per delivery fall, that’s not a moral discomfort problem. That’s a distribution problem."

Vineeth said the gig workers are only asking for "basic fairness," which includes, "predictable earnings, transparent algorithms, minimum safeguards and shared upside when companies win."

I have so much respect for Deepinder. One of the most inspiring people of this generation in India...

But I do not agree with this view, here is my view:

CEOs of quick-commerce and e-commerce companies are millionaires (and billionaires) today, while the very gig workers who…

— Vineeth K (@DealsDhamaka) January 2, 2026

A little further from the discussion, Tech expert and venture capitalist Deedy Das analysed Goyal's post from a crisis communication perspective. He said, "Major corporate CEOs like Zomato are now using ChatGPT to do crisis comms / PR (and it’s working!). This was a job for a senior tenured marketing graduate before."

Attaching a screenshot that showed AI detection at 100%, he added, "Most don’t notice AI writing in the wild but it’s changing how humans communicate before our very eyes."

Major corporate CEOs like Zomato are now using ChatGPT to do crisis comms / PR (and it’s working!). This was a job for a senior tenured marketing graduate before.

Most don’t notice AI writing in the wild but it’s changing how humans communicate before our very eyes. https://t.co/ihGMPk24MY pic.twitter.com/9D2ARWW18N

— Deedy (@deedydas) January 2, 2026