Zepto CEO Aadit Palicha backs changes to 10-minute delivery branding, says open to more govt inputs

Quick commerce firm Zepto has said it is open to working closely with the government on policy suggestions, including removing “10-minute” delivery branding, as the sector faces mounting scrutiny over gig worker safety and welfare.

In a LinkedIn post, Zepto co-founder and CEO Aadit Palicha said he had a “wonderful meeting” with Union Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, and described the ministry as “incredibly supportive” of the gig economy and hyperlocal commerce.

“Zepto has created employment for 180,000+ delivery partners and 40,000+ store personnel, truck drivers, and warehouse operators,” Palicha said, adding that other Indian startups like Eternal, Swiggy, Rapido and Urban Company have also contributed much more to job creation.

He said delivery partners were “the soul of our company” and Zepto was committed to improving their livelihoods through payouts running into thousands of crores annually, farmer partnerships through its fruits and vegetables vertical, and by helping build new Indian brands on its platform.

Palicha said Zepto had recently acted on a “good faith suggestion” from Mandaviya to remove “10 minutes” from its branding.

"Of course, we are not perfect and we are always open to inputs from the government on how we can improve," the 25-year-old entrepreneur said.

“The minister was clear that his end goal is to keep growing the employment and economic mobility that platforms like ours generate, and his feedback was intended to help us do that seamlessly,” he added.

The comments come as leading quick commerce players including Blinkit, Swiggy Instamart, Zepto and Flipkart Minutes have dropped “10-minute” delivery branding amid growing pressure from the government and labour rights groups over rider safety.

At a meeting last week, Mandaviya had urged companies to focus on gig worker welfare and avoid rigid ultra-fast delivery promises that could push riders towards unsafe driving practices.

The issue gained prominence after gig workers staged a nationwide strike on New Year’s Eve in 2025, raising concerns over health, safety and income security.

In a recent post on X, Deepinder Goyal, group CEO of Eternal, which owns Blinkit, said the 10-minute promise does not pressure delivery partners or encourage unsafe driving. He argued that riders are not shown customer-facing time promises in their apps and faster deliveries are driven by store proximity rather than higher speeds on the road.