DoorDash's chief executive has been forced to publicly confront a damaging viral hoax that falsely accused a major food delivery platform of using a sinister 'Desperation Score' to determine drivers' pay.
CEO's Blunt Denial on Social Media
Tony Xu, the co-founder and CEO of DoorDash, took to X on Saturday to repost a screenshot of a now-debunked Reddit post that had gone viral. The anonymous post, which did not name DoorDash, claimed a developer at a food delivery app worked for a company that treated drivers as 'human assets' and utilised a hidden 'Desperation Score' metric.
Xu's response was unequivocal. He wrote: "Holy f***ing sh*t is right! This is not DoorDash, and I would fire anyone who promoted or tolerated the kind of culture described in this Reddit post." He proceeded to comment on each specific allegation, stating that having a metric like a 'Desperation Score' is "an abomination" and firmly denying that DoorDash has ever had a 'Driver Benefit Fee' as described.
The Viral Hoax and Its AI-Generated 'Evidence'
The controversial Reddit post alleged that an algorithm would tag drivers as 'High Desperation' based on their acceptance of low-paying orders, subsequently withholding better-paid jobs from them. It claimed the logic was: "Why pay this guy $15 for a run when we know he's desperate enough to do it for $6?"
The story was investigated and debunked by the technology news site Platformer. A reporter found the user had attempted to corroborate the false claims using AI-generated evidence, including a fabricated Uber Eats work badge made with Google Gemini. The individual also refused to put the reporter in contact with any colleagues who could verify the story.
DoorDash's Broader Response and Past Controversies
Beyond Xu's social media rebuttal, DoorDash addressed the allegations directly on its corporate website. The company stated it was "appalled" by the post, noting it "hit a raw nerve" due to the dehumanising language and genuine concerns about worker treatment in the gig economy.
While DoorDash has firmly denied the policies described in the hoax, the company has faced significant scrutiny over its labour practices in the past. Most notably, in February 2025, DoorDash was ordered to pay nearly $17 million to settle claims by New York Attorney General Letitia James. The settlement addressed allegations that, between May 2017 and September 2019, the company used customers' tips to subsidise the guaranteed base pay for delivery workers without making this clear to customers. DoorDash has since discontinued that payment model.
In his concluding remarks on X, Xu acknowledged DoorDash is "not perfect by *any* stretch of the imagination," but stressed the company works daily to improve its platform. He added that the behaviour described in the viral post was "appalling" and that any company operating in such a manner "should be ashamed."
