Zomato Terminates 5,000 Delivery Workers Monthly, Says Deepinder Goyal

Deepinder Goyal, founder and CEO of Eternal, revealed that Zomato, the company’s food delivery arm, terminates nearly 5,000 gig workers every month. He shared these insights during a conversation on YouTuber Raj Shamani’s podcast.

According to Goyal, alongside these dismissals, around 1.5 to 2 lakh workers voluntarily quit each month. Interestingly, the same number of new delivery partners are onboarded monthly, keeping the workforce in constant flux.

Food delivery was Eternal’s largest business until recently, when quick commerce unit Blinkit overtook it. Despite this, Zomato remains the most profitable vertical for the Gurugram‑based company. Eternal also operates District (going‑out business) and Hyperpure (B2B grocery supply).

Why So Many Exits?

Goyal explained that most workers see delivery jobs as temporary or transitional. Many join to earn quick cash and leave once their immediate financial needs are met. Predicting workforce numbers beyond a certain point, he said, is impossible.

Terminations Linked to Fraud

The CEO noted that a significant portion of terminations stem from repeated fraud cases. Examples include delivery partners falsely marking orders as delivered or failing to return change in cash‑on‑delivery transactions.

To manage disputes, Zomato uses a karma score system for both customers and riders. This internal tool rates reliability based on past behavior. While it helps distinguish genuine complaints from fraudulent ones, Goyal admitted, “About 50% to 70% of the time, we take the hit.”

Customer Fraud Cases

Goyal also highlighted extreme instances of customer fraud. Some customers allegedly placed their own hair in food to claim refunds, while others submitted manipulated or AI‑generated images showing food as spoiled.