Instacart is an online marketplace that connects customers with local businesses to purchase groceries and other goods. The company was founded in 2012 by two University of California, Berkeley alumni, Apoorva Mehta and Max Levchin.
In its first three years, Instacart processed $100 million in transactions.
In November 2018, Instacart announced that it would be cancelling its operations in the state of California because of the state’s new labor laws. The new laws require companies like Instacart to provide health insurance and sick leave to their employees.
Instacart stated that it would be unable to afford to provide these benefits to its employees and would be forced to shut down its operations. The company has also been criticized for its high turnover rate, with a majority of employees leaving within the first six months of employment.