A Reddit user claimed that Zepto, a fast commerce platform, is overcharging customers with smartphones worth over Rs 30,000. The user also claimed that Zepto uses dark patterns in its application to manipulate customers into spending more money through various methods.
Additionally, the user alleges that Zepto profiles customer data and maintains poor security measures for these profiles. Despite several data leaks, the company has reportedly not addressed the issue due to prioritizing development and investor demands.
In a Reddit post, an anonymous user named Scary_Split3157 said, “The app has many dark patterns to extort money from customers in various ways, including charging more for customers with phones above Rs 30,000.
According to the employee’s post, there are concerns about profiling of customer data and inadequate security measures. Despite the many data breaches, addressing these issues has been a low priority due to the focus on growth and investor demands.
Zepto’s work-life balance
A recent post by Adit Palicha, CEO of Zepto, has sparked an online debate regarding “work-life balance”. Parts of the internet mistakenly believed it was a direct response to a viral Reddit post accusing Zepto of “toxic practices,” such as late-night meetings. The Reddit post shared anonymously on r/StartUpIndia is titled “Toxic Work Culture ft. Zepto.”
The Zepto employee shared in the post that they have been employed by Zepto for a year, describing the work environment as having a very negative culture. Mentioning issues involving irregular working hours and questionable business tactics. Adit Palicha usually starts work at 2 pm due to difficulty getting up early, resulting in meetings scheduled for 2 am, the employee said.
Additionally, the post highlighted that meetings at Zepto are often late and rarely start on time, causing inconvenience to employees. It was also reported that younger staff members are hired because senior staff are reluctant to work in such an environment, with junior staff expected to work long shifts averaging at least 14 hours a day.
Additionally, the employee criticized Zepto’s app for employing unethical tactics to extract more money from customers, including overcharging with phones priced above Rs 30,000.
Explaining why young professionals are being brought on board, the person said: “Junior employees are being recruited to reduce salary costs, and there is likely to be a large number of layoffs in March, resulting in very Recruitment in all departments will be stopped.” The employee added that despite these related practices, many staff members remain at Zepto due to the prospect of an IPO in the next two years, which could potentially be financially beneficial for all involved.
After the post went viral, Adit Palicha said in an X post on December 4: “I have nothing against work-life balance. In fact, I recommend it to all my competitors”.
Work-life balance and work life
The topic of work-life balance has also been discussed by top business executives. Narayan Murthy, co-founder of Infosys, was the first to comment on work-life balance, proposing that young Indian professionals should work 70-hour weeks to accelerate the improvement of living standards in the country. His comments sparked an online debate on life and work.
In a recent statement, Wipro Executive Chairman Rishad Premji emphasized the importance of work-life balance and highlighted the effectiveness of a hybrid working model in helping employees manage better.
Premji said, “Work-life balance is very important. I learned this very early in my early days before Covid, which is work life, which you have to define for yourself. Organizations never do that for you. work They won’t. So you have to define that and draw boundaries.”
