Piyush Goyal’s Remark on Startups Sparks Buzz, Zepto CEO Claps Back With Data

Nobody wants to be reduced to a job title-especially not when you've built something from scratch, navigated chaos, and created real-world impact. So when Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal asked, "Should we aspire to be, or are we going to be happy being delivery boys and girls?"-India's startup ecosystem didn't take it lightly.

The remark, made during his address at Startup Mahakumbh 2025 in New Delhi, was a comparison between Indian and Chinese startups. But its tone struck many as dismissive-especially those who've been building companies from the ground up.

One of the strongest responses came from Zepto co-founder and CEO Aadit Palicha, who took to X (formerly Twitter) with a pointed, data-packed rebuttal.

Palicha highlighted that in just 3.5 years, Zepto has created nearly 1.5 lakh jobs, contributes over ₹1,000 crore in taxes annually, and has attracted more than $1 billion in FDI. "There are almost 1.5 lakh real people earning livelihoods on Zepto today - a company that didn't exist 3.5 years ago," he wrote.

He didn't stop there. Palicha called Zepto a case study in Indian innovation, arguing that consumer internet startups are not just delivery apps - they are infrastructure builders. "If this isn't a miracle in Indian innovation, I don't know what is," he added.

Palicha also touched on India's lack of foundational AI models and deep-tech breakthroughs, attributing it to the absence of large-scale internet companies. "Most of the tech revolutions-from cloud to AI-have been driven by consumer internet giants like Amazon, Google, and Tencent. These companies had the data, capital, and talent to drive innovation," he explained.

According to him, dismissing Indian startups for focusing on logistics and delivery ignores the long-term value they are building. "We need to build great local champions first-only then can we hope to compete in deeper tech spaces," he said, urging both the government and investors to support, not undermine, homegrown efforts.

Palicha was clear-eyed about where Zepto stands. "We're not yet a great internet company-but we're working hard to become one," he admitted. He's committed to spending the coming decades driving economic dynamism in India, noting that the country has the talent and capital-it just needs "execution."

Meanwhile, Minister Goyal expanded on his view during the same speech:
"What are India's startups of today? Food delivery apps that turn unemployed youth into cheap labour so the rich can get meals without leaving their homes. We're proud of what India has achieved, but are we the best yet? Not yet."

So-what's your take? Is India's startup dream too small, or just getting started?