Thousands of gig workers employed by major e-commerce platforms went on strike during the New Year week. As a result, attention was drawn to deteriorating working conditions, erratic schedules, and the mounting pressure to meet unrealistic delivery targets. At the core of the protest, however, was the controversial 10-minute delivery model, which workers argue prioritises speed over safety. The workers call for dignity and safety, as they protest against the automated system that keeps a check on their deliveries and reduces their overall ratings when delays occur.
Addressing the 10-Minute Delivery System
Adding to the debate, Ex-jet Airways CEO—Sanjiv Kapoor weighed in on the issue and expressed his growing concerns regarding the safety of the workers. “Do we really need 10-minute deliveries?”, he asked Founder of Zomato—Deepinder Goyal. He then clarified, he was not “outraged” by the system, rather questions the necessity of 10-minute deliveries. Additionally he, along with many others is of the view that such quick deliveries should be restricted to essential and medical emergencies.
A post was recently shared on X (formerly Twitter) by Deepinder Goyal, stating that over 7 million orders were delivered by both Blinkit and Zomato on New Year’s Eve 2025. In response to criticism surrounding 10-minute deliveries, the safety of delivery partners was reiterated by him. It was stated that the 10-minute delivery promise is enabled by the density of stores around homes and not by requiring delivery partners to drive faster.
It was posted that delivery gigs are not regarded as long-term roles within the employment ecosystem. Additionally, it was confirmed by Goyal that the annual attrition rate among delivery partners stands at 65%. This high level of turnover, in turn, reinforces the view that delivery work is largely temporary in nature; typically undertaken by workers for a short duration. As a result, such roles are often used for the workers to sustain themselves briefly before eventually transitioning to more stable and secure employment opportunities.
The Complexities of the Delivery System
He clarified that delivery partners are not instructed to drive faster and how delivery system is not as simplistic as it seems. Stating that delivery partners are not shown the promised delivery time committed to the customers; he confirms the safety protocols for the drivers. Accordingly, he clarifies that by associating efficiency with risky behaviour is unfair to the complex delivery system. “I understand why everybody thinks why 10 minutes must be risking lives; because it is indeed hard to imagine the sheer complexity of the system design which enables quick deliveries,” he said.
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