Today, we’re introducing Tasks — a new way for Dashers to earn on their own terms beyond delivery, and for businesses to know more about what’s happening on the ground.
Businesses need to know what’s actually on their shelves or whether the layout at another location has changed since last week. But getting this information at scale in real-time is a challenge. It’s one we’ve spent over a decade solving, from finding the front door at a tricky address to checking whether a favorite local bakery is open on a holiday. Solving these kinds of problems made our platform better for everyone who uses it. It also turned out to be something other businesses needed too.
Tasks helps businesses get the on-the-ground insights they need quickly and at scale, while giving Dashers a new way to earn beyond delivery. Tasks are short activities Dashers can complete between deliveries or in their own time. Examples include helping a restaurant showcase their menu by taking real photos of their dishes, helping a hotel make sure a delivery driver can find a drop-off location by taking photos of the hotel entrance, or giving an autonomous vehicle a hand getting back on the road. Since 2024, Dashers have completed more than 2 million tasks.
“It’s simple: you can’t deliver to a door you can’t find or get someone milk if you don’t know what’s on the shelf. These are the kinds of real-world problems we’ve been solving for over a decade, and we realized the same capabilities that helped us could help other businesses too. The goal of Tasks is to help more businesses understand what’s happening on the ground and gather new insights, all while giving Dashers a new way to earn on their own terms. There are more than 8 million Dashers who can reach almost anywhere in the U.S. and who want to earn flexibly beyond delivery. That’s a powerful capability to digitize the physical world,” said Ethan Beatty, General Manager, DoorDash Tasks.
We’re also piloting a new standalone app where Dashers can complete activities like filming everyday tasks or recording themselves speaking in another language. This data helps AI and robotic systems understand the physical world. Pay is shown upfront and determined based on effort and complexity of the activity.
We’re already partnering with companies across industries including retail, insurance, hospitality, and technology. We plan to expand into more task types and countries over time. Tasks and the new app are currently available in select places in the U.S., excluding California, New York City, Seattle and Colorado.
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