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- A new Silicon Valley startup takes grocery delivery services like Instacart or Amazon Fresh to another level.
- The service, called Jupiter, organizes groceries in customers' kitchens, and keeps track of what needs replacing.
- After a VC tweeted about the service, people on Twitter quickly found problems with the service, which claims to be like "magic."
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
San Francisco-based startup Jupiter says it will "put your groceries on autopilot" by delivering them straight to your kitchen, organizing them, and keeping track of what needs to be replaced weekly.
The company was founded by recent Stanford University graduates, and claims a mission of "a world in which products appear magically in your kitchen" while also reducing food waste and plastic use. Jupiter says it can reduce food waste by giving customers only exactly what they need, and donating food if their plans change.
Venture capitalist and ex-Uber employee Andrew Chen tweeted about how much he was enjoying Jupiter to his more than 160,000 followers.
Others on Twitter were quick to find flaws with Jupiter's premise. Many of the responses point out how the service isn't really new, but just a rebranding of a servant or personal assistant, but without having to actually interact with the person.
Others saw a security risk in giving strangers access to their homes, although according to Jupiter's website, the company uses background checks and a "rigorous internal vetting process."
Even claims about sustainability were met with skepticism, when people noticed that Chen had bottled water delivered.
Although the responses were generally critical of Jupiter, some people did point out that the service could be useful for anyone with a condition that makes grocery shopping and organizing kitchens difficult or impossible.
Jupiter did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment. A basic plan, which includes two visits per month, starts at $25, while four visits per month costs $45. Right now, it's only available in four California cities: San Francisco, Oakland, Palo Alto, and Menlo Park.
Have been enjoying Jupiter, a recent YC co I've been testing. I set which groceries I want in my fridge and pantry, and they literally put it in there for you. And send pics (see below). Really magical.
Any of my SF friends who want to try it: https://t.co/MOWRa0hZDo pic.twitter.com/LDZq3fpApR
- Andrew Chen (@andrewchen) January 7, 2020If they call it "Mommi" at least it will manage not to erase the real human labor that they're invariably going to cut to the bone to scale this "magical" concept
- Marissa (@Psshaw) January 7, 2020I'm pretty much a man who enjoys modern conveniences and pays for the privilege; but I have questions. This service ... is revolutionary, how? Is it "Uber but for personal assistants"? Is it the contract model for butler services? Downton Abbey for Bay Area apartments?
- Robert Taylor :: 😷:🌎 (@robotterror) January 7, 2020This is a hard pass for me on safety.
1. Easy access to steal.
2. Can learn your interior / layout for later robberies or assaults (sell info to others)
3. Can go through your things & tamper with stuff
4. Substantial Foot-trafic of stragers in household
Pure horror.
- Jelena Jansson (@jelenajansson) January 8, 2020protips, your sink can also deliver water directly to your house, for free and without useless packaging !
- Keyser José (@NKodej) January 8, 2020This could be great for Disabled/chronically ill people with pain/fatigue/mobility issues who genuinely struggle to get groceries from the front door to the kitchen...
- 🦕The queerest little trilobite🦖 (@Lilysea) January 8, 2020