Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal made a tongue-in-cheek remark aimed at Zepto’s marketing team during his appearance on Raj Shamani’s podcast.
Zomato-owned Blinkit ranks among India’s leading quick-commerce platforms, competing directly with Zepto and Swiggy Instamart.
In the latest episode, Goyal spoke at length about the evolving 10-minute delivery model, the gig workers, competitive dynamics in the quick commerce space, and a range of other industry-related topics.
When podcast host Raj Shamani pressed Goyal on how he views competition, the entrepreneur first appeared keen to brush the topic aside. Responding to a question on whether he keeps a close watch on rival players, Goyal replied succinctly, “Hum nahi karte hain (We don’t do it).”
He further stated that he doesn’t place orders on Swiggy or Zepto, as he prefers not to engage with or evaluate how these platforms operate. When asked further, he conceded that Swiggy stands out as a strong competitor. However, he stopped short of extending the same acknowledgment to Zepto, choosing instead to commend the brand’s marketing prowess- subtly underscoring the remark with a pointed jibe.
“I think Swiggy is still a formidable food delivery competitor for us. Always tough to fight them, always. Ek inch extra room bhi nahi milta vahan pe,” Goyal said.
“And Zepto…I don’t know. I think their marketing is quirky and nice…But the Zomato team runs it. Ex Zomato log hain vo saare (They are all former Zomato employees),” he added.
“Hum se hi seekh ke gaye hain sab. Good for them (They learned it from us),” Goyal remarked with a laugh.
Elsewhere in the interview, Goyal was asked for his views on Zepto’s founder and CEO, Aadit Palicha. Goyal paused for a moment before responding affirmatively. “Yes, every time I’ve met him, I’ve liked him,” he said.
