Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal said Zomato and Blinkit recorded their highest ever one-day order volumes on New Year’s Eve, adding that operations were largely intact despite calls for a nationwide strike by concert workers.
His comments came a day after delivery workers linked to platforms like Zomato, Swiggy and Amazon staged protests in several cities demanding better wages, safer working conditions and social security benefits.
In a post on X, Goyal said that Zomato and its e-commerce unit Blinkit “delivered at a record pace” on December 31. He said assistance from local police “helped keep a small number of miscreants under control,” allowing more than 4.5 million delivery partners across the two platforms to fulfill more than 75 million orders for more than 63 million customers in a single day.
“This happened without any additional incentives for delivery partners – NYE sees higher incentives than normal days and yesterday was no different than the last few New Year’s Eve days,” he wrote.
Goyal also expressed gratitude to local authorities and ground teams for “clear enforcement and quick coordination”. He praised delivery partners who, he said, “showed up despite the intimidation, stood their ground and chose honest work and progress.”
He ended his post with what he described as “a thought for everyone,” saying: “If the system was fundamentally unfair, it wouldn’t attract and retain as many people who choose to work in it. Please don’t get carried away by the self-interested narrative.”
Referring to the gig economy as one of the “biggest engines of organized job creation in India”, Goyal said its wider impact will be seen over time as children of delivery drivers, supported by steady incomes and education, enter the workforce and help transform the country.
Goyal’s remarks followed protests organized a day earlier by the Indian Federation of App-Based Transport Workers (IFAT) in several cities, where workers demanded higher payments, social security and improved safety measures.
Gig workers strike
The Gig and Platform Service Workers Union has announced a nationwide strike on December 31 to jointly press for demands regarding the rights, welfare and dignity of gig and platform workers across India.
In issuing the call for action, it said: “All gig workers, platform workers, digital platform workers, app workers and online freelancers are urged to participate in the national strike by turning off all work-related applications and refraining from providing services on December 31, 2025, making the strike unified and effective.”
