Blinkit picker to Zomato designer: Deepinder Goyal’s viral post sparks praise and backlash. Find out why

Zomato co-founder and CEO Deepinder Goyal on Thursday shared a message on LinkedIn that quickly gained traction for its emotional arc and the contrasting responses it drew from the food delivery ecosystem.

Goyal posted a screenshot of a note he received from a fourth-year design student who said he had worked as a picker at Blinkit to support his education after facing financial difficulties at home. According to the message, a short stint at a Blinkit dark store helped him stabilise his finances and eventually pursue a design career. The student said he is now set to join Zomato’s design team, calling the moment “life coming full circle.”

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The post resonated widely, with Goyal writing that “stories like this make all of it absolutely worth it.” He later responded to the student’s message saying it “lit me up.”

However, the celebratory tone also prompted a detailed response from another LinkedIn user, who shared a more cautionary perspective on the platform-driven food delivery model. In the comment, the user said they previously ran a small cloud kitchen that initially grew rapidly on Zomato but later faced challenges such as deep discounting pressures, changing commission structures, rider strikes, and instances of fake orders.

The commenter said these factors eventually eroded margins and forced many small operators to shut shop, adding that they were “lucky” to exit the business while it still had some value.

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While congratulating the student for his upward journey, the commenter urged Goyal to also hear from former restaurant partners whose experiences reflect the other side of the platform’s impact.

The exchange highlights the dual realities of India’s food delivery and quick commerce landscape, creating mobility and opportunity for some, while also drawing criticism for operational and financial strain on small businesses.