Zepto vs. Zomato: Deepinder Goyal’s 5,000 Crore Burn Comment Sparks Debate

Deepinder Goyal, the man who built Zomato while most of us were still figuring out our lunch money, recently made a bold claim about Quick Commerce. In an Economic Times article, he suggested that the industry is collectively burning ₹5,000 crore per quarter, with Zepto allegedly responsible for “substantially more than half” of it.

Aadit Palicha, Zepto’s 22-year-old founder, was quick to respond – respectful, but not without a raised eyebrow. He called the statement “verifiably untrue” and hinted that Zepto’s upcoming financial filings would tell a different story. He even gave Deepinder his flowers, calling him a role model and praising Zomato’s legacy. Classy move. But let’s address the elephant in the room: where did Deepinder get that number from?

Quick Commerce has been under scrutiny for its cash-guzzling ways. Between 10-minute deliveries, deep discounts, and a customer base that enjoys ordering a single banana at 3 AM, profitability remains a distant dream. Blinkit, Zomato’s own quick commerce arm, isn't exactly a cash-printing machine either. So, if Zepto’s burn is allegedly that high, what’s the story at Blinkit?

While Zepto denies burning ₹2,500+ crore a quarter, there’s no denying that Quick Commerce isn’t a walk in the park. Margins are tight, customer habits are unpredictable, and sustainability is the big question. Maybe Deepinder was misquoted, maybe he misspoke, or maybe he just said what a lot of VCs have been whispering.

Either way, the Quick Commerce space remains a high-stakes game, and whether it's Zepto, Blinkit, or anyone else, only time (and financial filings) will tell who’s actually burning and who’s building.