Zepto CEO joins work-life balance debate amid allegations of toxic culture

The ongoing debate around work-life balance in India has reached a new chapter with Zepto's CEO, Aadit Palicha, weighing on the issue.

In a recent post on X (formerly Twitter), Palicha commented, "I have nothing against work-life balance. In fact, I recommend it to all our competitors."

His statement, laced with irony, seems to underscore Zepto's commitment to a high-intensity work culture, particularly as the company vies for a competitive edge in India's burgeoning quick-commerce sector.

I have nothing against work-life balance. In fact, I recommend it to all our competitors :)

— Aadit Palicha (@aadit_palicha) December 4, 2024

Although Palicha quickly clarified that the quote was not his, but rather from an interview with Indian-origin CEO Daksh Gupta, many users still insisted that it was his response to the anonymous Reddit post detailing "Zepto's toxic work culture."

Palicha's remarks come at a time when the company is under scrutiny following an anonymous Reddit post that went viral, alleging a "toxic" work culture at Zepto.

According to the post, employees are reportedly working grueling 14-hour days, adding fuel to the fire in the ongoing debate over employee well-being in the corporate world. The employee also claimed that Palicha, a key figure in the company, only begins working at 2 pm because he struggles to wake up early, leading to meetings being scheduled at 2 am.

The anonymous user further explained that junior staff are hired to cut costs, and a major round of layoffs is expected in March, with most departments halting new hiring.

Social media erupted with multiple users commenting on the scenario.

"Bro woke up early today," commented one user. Another user quipped, "Burning the midnight oil to dunk on toxic work culture posts on Reddit? Bold strategy!"