‘Abuse, fear and no lunch breaks': Zepto's ex-contract worker alleges harassment in Reddit post

Time of India

23-05-2025

A former contract worker at Zepto has accused the quick-commerce startup of fostering a toxic and abusive work environment. In a widely shared Reddit post, the B.Tech graduate described facing long hours, verbal intimidation, and a complete lack of HR support, calling the experience 'psychological warfare.' Zepto clarified the individual was employed through a third-party vendor and not on its official payroll. The controversy has reignited discussions on workplace culture following previous remarks by CEO Aadit Palicha on work-life balance.
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Zepto denies direct involvement
Previous work culture claims still linger
An ex-contractual employee at Zepto has gone public with disturbing claims about their time at the fast-growing quick-commerce startup, describing the experience as nothing short of 'psychological warfare.' The detailed Reddit post, now widely circulated, paints a picture of relentless work hours, abusive management, and a void of institutional support.'I was broke, jobless and desperate,' the user wrote, explaining why they took up the job. Their post, reportedly written with the help of ChatGPT, chronicles an emotionally draining routine and what they described as a constant climate of fear, as reported by HT.In the post, the former worker described a grueling schedule, 'Six days a week, sometimes all seven. 9 AM to 8 PM, occasionally later. No lunch break some days. No holidays. No structure. If someone from the team took a break, it was fine—but if I took one, I'd get a call from a senior asking why I'm not 'committed',' they wrote.The individual claimed they were isolated in the system because they were hired on a contract basis and therefore had no access to Zepto's HR mechanisms. 'That's not a job. That's psychological warfare,' they added.The post details more than overwork—it points to direct and repeated intimidation. 'One manager literally started making hand gestures as if he was going to slap or punch me—repeatedly. He never hit me, but the intimidation was constant,' the user stated.They added, 'That feeling of being trapped, of never knowing when the shouting might turn into something physical... that's trauma.''I used to freeze at my desk, scared, anxious, and helpless,' they wrote. According to the post, even on the employee's final working day, there was no compassion from the company. 'The HR showed zero empathy,' they claimed, noting they had a fever but were still asked to return the company laptop within an hour.Responding to the controversy, Zepto told HT.com that the issue stemmed from a third-party vendor, not the company's official team. 'The issue is pertaining to a contractual employee and that particular vendor's ecosystem. No on-roll Zepto employee is directly involved in this incident,' a source familiar with the situation said.This distinction, while significant on paper, has done little to calm the rising wave of criticism directed at the startup's workplace ethics.This isn't the first time Zepto has been at the centre of a workplace culture row. Just months ago, in December, CEO Aadit Palicha stirred controversy following another Reddit post that accused the company of toxic practices. The timing of that post coincided with online debates around extreme working hours and startup life.Palicha, then 22, responded on X (formerly Twitter) with a statement that many saw as dismissive. 'I have nothing against work-life balance. In fact, I recommend it to all our competitors,' he wrote.Amid backlash, he added clarification: 'FYI, not my quote - read it from an interview of Daksh Gupta.' Gupta, an Indian-origin tech CEO based in San Francisco, had recently faced sharp criticism for promoting 84-hour workweeks at his AI firm.While Zepto has distanced itself from the latest allegations by pointing to the contractor arrangement, the underlying issues—workplace treatment, lack of accountability, and rising burnout—remain unresolved. For many, the story reinforces concerns that aggressive growth in India's startup ecosystem is often built on the back of vulnerable and unsupported workers.As the Reddit post continues to circulate, the scrutiny over how young companies treat their people—regardless of employment status—appears far from over.