Kunal Kamra interrogates the CEO of Blinkit about the posting of 100,000 condoms for the New Year's party and questions the earnings of the delivery workers.
Phrase of the day: “Platform owners benefit from gig workers and are not job creators.”
The CEO of Blinkit, Albinder Dhindsa, has shared a humorous message about the company’s year-end order preparations, which was previously known as Grofers before its acquisition by Zomato, led by Deepinder Goyal. In his post on X/Twitter, Dhindsa revealed that more than 100,000 packages of condoms are being shipped, along with over 45,000 bottles of water and other items. "Preparations for the after-party?" he joked in his message.
However, the figure of condoms did not go unnoticed by netizens, and comedian Kunal Kamra seized the opportunity to question Dhindsa. Kamra requested information about the average salaries of Blinkit delivery workers for the year 2024. Since then, there has been no response from Blinkit.
In his series of New Year messages, Kamra expressed concern about the situation of gig economy workers, especially delivery couriers. In the past, he had criticized Bhavish Aggarwal, the CEO of Ola, for deficiencies in services and the delivery of electric vehicles. Kamra has stated that platform owners exploit gig workers and are not true job creators, declaring that they operate as landlords without owning any property. He also highlighted that these entrepreneurs are using data as if it were raw material without compensating those who generate that value.
The comedian reminded that the Indian Contract Act of 1872 states that a contract between two parties, where one has an undue economic advantage, can be voided if it is determined to be exploitative. He lamented that democratic institutions, responsible for ensuring dignity, security, and equality, are focused on other matters instead of addressing this issue.
While consumers enjoy the convenience offered by quick commerce, Kamra made it clear that his first message for 2025 will focus on the dark side of this business, emphasizing the exploitation of gig economy workers and the lack of innovation from platform owners.
