Founder and CEO of Zypp Electric, Akash Gupta, recently shared a viral video on social media. In the video, Akash Gupta interviewed a cab driver who said he had even tried his hand at a regular job before taking up the current mode of self-employment. Impressed with the cab driver's salary, he called him a gig entrepreneur — the face of India's new and emerging middle class. This video has amassed over 5.97 lakh views, 25.7 thousand likes and several comments.
The caption to the Instagram post states, "Bharat ka naya middle class - gig entrepreneur. This is why the gig economy matters. These aren’t just delivery partners. They’re micro-entrepreneurs building income on their own terms. This is the next middle class of Bharat."
When Akash Gupta enquired about the driver's previous salary and current income, the cab driver revealed that he used to earn ₹25,000 a month earlier, but his cumulative income now goes as high as ₹1 lakh. The Zypp CEO called the self-employed cab driver an entrepreneur, explaining that his 10 hours of work a day pays him ₹3,000-4,000. Commending the driver on the impressive numbers, he said that providing service is also a business.
"Tum entrepreneur ho…. entrepreneur apn kaam khud karta hai, apna startup banata hai, apna dhanda banata hai. Yeh jo tum bethe ho na, ye tumhari dukan hai…. yeh nai dukan hai…gaadi, ghoda, scooter," Akash Gupta can be heard saying in Hindi in the video.
Social media reacts
A user wrote, “Businessman nahin bhai self employment bolate Hain usko.”
Another user remarked, “Everyone is doing their own work not Business he is just self employed.”
A third comment read, “ro entrepreneurship is ntg but introducing new concept , idea , or material in society and this work is not entrepreneur it is just a work.”
A fourth user asked, “What is the difference between self employment and business.”
More about Zypp CEO
Akash Gupta co-founded India's largest EV-as-a-service and last-mile delivery startup in 2017. Prior to establishment of Zypp, he served at executive roles in several prominent Indian tech and fintech, including MobiKwik, Snapdeal, Dell, Infosys and Airtel. He even featured as a TEDx Speaker and made it to the Forbes India Leaders "40 Under 40" list. Previously featured in the prestigious Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list for his former robotics venture, Akash Gupta has 11 years of experience in marketing, acquisitions, sales, distribution, strategy and consulting, product management, and project execution, according to his LinkedIn profile.
In April, Zypp Electric launched the third edition of its EVolve Innovation Challenge, offering up to ₹30 lakh in funding to support startups and innovators working on electric mobility solutions.
“We have a vision to create 100 unicorns and build a truly impactful EV ecosystem. Through EVolve Season 3, we are bringing together India's brightest minds to co-create solutions that can accelerate EV adoption and redefine sustainability. This is not just a challenge,” said Akash Gupta.