Deepinder Goyal, founder and CEO of Zomato’s parent company Eternal, has clarified that no public or commercial announcements have been made regarding Temple, an experimental health-monitoring device that recently drew criticism from sections of the medical community.
In a post on social media platform X, Goyal said the device is still under development and that no official benchmarking or scientific validation data has been released so far. He added that the company is still months away from deciding whether to introduce preview devices to the public.
Founder responds to criticism
Goyal’s clarification follows criticism from doctors and influencers after he was seen wearing the device during a podcast appearance. Some medical professionals questioned the scientific legitimacy of the wearable and warned against promoting unvalidated health technology.
Addressing these concerns, Goyal said it was premature to advise people against purchasing a product that is not available for sale or pre-order. “We haven’t released any official device benchmarking data. A lot of the work is still underway,” he wrote.
He further stated that detailed scientific information would be shared if and when the company decides to commercialise the device, inviting scrutiny at that stage rather than during development.
What is Temple?
Temple is an experimental wearable designed to continuously monitor blood flow near the temple region. Goyal has linked the device to his personal research into neurological health and ageing, describing it as a long-term exploratory project rather than a finished consumer product.
The small sensor, worn near the temple, has sparked debate among medical experts. Critics have argued that accurately measuring blood flow inside the brain typically requires advanced clinical tools such as MRI, and cautioned against equating wellness experimentation with medical diagnostics.
No commercial positioning yet
Goyal reiterated that Temple has not been positioned as a medical device or consumer health product at this stage. He urged observers to reserve judgment until data and scientific evidence are formally released.
The episode highlights the growing scrutiny around founder-led health innovation in India, particularly as technology leaders explore intersections between wellness, longevity, and consumer devices areas that increasingly demand transparency and scientific rigor.
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