DoorDash Is Under Fire Over New Delivery Drones — 'Anything To Keep From Paying Your Drivers'

DoorDash recently achieved a milestone that may usher us into the next era of food delivery — with robots. The company is now a certified air carrier according to the Federal Aviation Administration. That means your Taco Bell breakfast items and groceries could soon be brought to your home via drone, which has some folks wondering what's going to become of the existing Dashers who've been delivering your goods.

The company is still working on the details of the whole operation, such as how the handoff process will work between merchants and customers. DoorDash contends that when the system is fully operational it will significantly cut delivery times. But while most people have no complaints about quick delivery service, a few folks discussing the news on social media were skeptical about the company's motivations for innovating on the delivery industry.

"Anything to keep from paying your drivers," one person quipped on Reddit. Someone on X had a similar sentiment, saying, "'Replace humans at all costs' — the door dash [sic] board." DoorDash has noted that human Dashers will continue to be an integral part of the company once drone delivery takes off, but some drivers remain unconvinced. "There goes my job," one person said on X. That's tough, but concerns about delivery drivers getting tossed to the wayside are just the tip of the iceberg.

Although people are worried drones could eventually replace human delivery drivers at DoorDash, others on social media were voicing numerous concerns over the new method of transporting goods. Some are worried about things that can spill (like Starbucks' handcrafted drinks) or be otherwise compromised when traditional delivery methods are no longer a viable option. One person on X said, "Food already doesn't travel well. DoorDash: 'Hold my beer'." Another skeptic on Reddit noted, "Amazon has bailed on drone delivery for a variety of reasons. I don't see how this is anything but a publicity stunt. It's just not practical."

Some folks are uneasy about more than just the impracticality of drone food delivery. "Oh boy I can't wait for the first 'it seemingly lost power' incidents that cause one of these to plummet into a house and kill someone," someone said on Reddit. There are also concerns about noise pollution, with more than a few people commenting that the buzzing of drones both day and night will be disturbing, to say the least.

To be fair, plenty of folks seemed excited to witness the futuristic food delivery system in action. In all likelihood, DoorDash Air will likely end up being a trade-off. Customers might get McDonald's perfectly cut fries delivered to their doors in short order, but at the potential cost of peace and quiet as well as drivers losing their jobs. Only time will tell if a quick and admittedly nifty delivery drone system will be worth the possible collateral damage.