‘Gig entrepreneur’: Man earns ₹1 lakh driving cab after quitting ₹25,000 job

Akash Gupta, founder and CEO of EV rental platform Zypp Electric, shared a video of his interaction with a cab driver on Instagram.

A video by a founder has sparked an intense debate online about the true definition of India's emerging workforce. Akash Gupta recently shared a heartwarming encounter with his cab driver on social media. During their candid conversation, the driver claimed that he quit a corporate job to drive full-time, thereby increasing his monthly earnings. The founder hailed this transition as a prime example of India's new "gig entrepreneurs.”

The cab driver claimed his income had exponentially increased after leaving his job. (Instagram/@kaashseakash)

“Bharat ka naya middle class - gig entrepreneur. This is why the gig economy matters,” Akash Gupta wrote on Instagram.

The founder continued, “These aren’t just delivery partners. They’re micro-entrepreneurs building income on their own terms. This is the next middle class of Bharat.”

During a candid conversation with his cab driver, Gupta asked whether he had permanently left his previous job to pursue driving full-time, especially since he now earns around ₹1 lakh per month. With a brief, appreciative laugh, the driver readily agreed and opened up about his professional transition.

He revealed that he used to be stuck in a traditional 9-to-5 desk job that paid him a salary of just ₹25,000 per month. However, switching to driving a cab completely transformed his life, granting him the ultimate freedom to set his own hours, choose his routes, and work entirely on his own terms.

Deeply impressed by this entrepreneurial spirit, Gupta then gave the driver a major confidence boost. He told him that the next time someone asks what he does for a living, he should proudly state that he is a businessman, because running his own vehicle and managing his own schedule means he is officially working for himself.

(Hindustantimes.com has reached out to Akash Gupta. This report will be updated when he responds.)

How did social media react?

An individual wrote, "Respect all gig workers.” Another posted, “This is so inspirational. A third commented, “You are right, bro.”

However, not all agreed with Gupta’s “gig entrepreneur’ remark. An individual posted, “Bro entrepreneurship is nothing but introducing a new concept, idea, or material in society and this work is not entrepreneurial, it is just a work.” Disagreeing, another expressed, “Businessman nahin bhai self employment bolate hain usko.”

Akash Gupta is the founder and CEO of EV rental platform Zypp Electric. He is also a content creator. He shares videos of his encounters with strangers from all walks of life.