Zepto CHRO departs following 'toxic work culture' accusations

Zepto's Chief Human Resources Officer Martin Dinesh Gomez has left the company just 11 months after switching from Amazon.

According to a Zepto spokesperson, Chief Brand Officer Chandan Mendiratta has taken on additional responsibilities as Chief Culture Officer to head HR operations.

This comes after Zepto CEO and Co-founder Aadit Palicha shared a post on X regarding work-life balance amid rumours of a 'toxic' work culture at the startup.

It followed a Reddit post alleging that Zepto employees were subjected to 14-hour work shifts, with some meetings scheduled as late as 2 am.

Quick commerce unicorn Zepto has been aggressively raising funds and expanding as competition in the space heats up with new entrants like Amazon's Tez and Flipkart Minutes.

Last month, Zepto closed its third funding round in the last six months from domestic investors, with an infusion of $350 million. Prior to this, it had raised $1 billion in an extended funding round from new and existing investors.

Zepto, one of the first companies to introduce food as a category in quick commerce, now plans to ramp up its Cafe vertical to major cities by next year. Its success, with an expected run-rate of Rs 1,000 crore by 2026, has also prompted other players like Instamart and Blinkit to add similar categories.

The latest entrant in the space, Amazon's Tez, is expected to pilot 15-minute delivery services for everyday and frequently purchased items.