DoorDash vs Instacart: Founders, CEOs and History
DoorDash was founded in 2013 by Tony Xu, Stanley Tang, Andy Fang and is led by Tony Xu. Instacart was founded in 2012 by Apoorva Mehta, Max Mullen, Brandon Leonardo and is led by Chris Rogers.
Company facts
Founders
DoorDash
Tony Xu
Tony Xu co-founded DoorDash in 2013 and has been CEO since the start; he is also chair of the board.
Stanley Tang
Stanley Tang co-founded DoorDash in 2013 and led early product work, including the first Palo Alto deliveries. He later led DoorDash Labs, the unit focused on autonomous delivery and new products.
Andy Fang
Andy Fang co-founded DoorDash in 2013 and built much of the early product and engineering foundation, including the systems used to dispatch Dashers and route orders.
Evan Moore
Evan Moore co-founded DoorDash in 2013 and helped run early operations and deliveries. He left the company in its early years and later became a venture investor at Khosla Ventures.
Instacart
Apoorva Mehta
Apoorva Mehta co-founded Instacart in 2012 after working as a supply chain engineer at Amazon and trying roughly 20 earlier startup ideas.
Max Mullen
Max Mullen co-founded Instacart in 2012 and focused on the shopper and customer experience in its early years, later serving on the board of directors.
Brandon Leonardo
Brandon Leonardo co-founded Instacart in 2012 as an early engineer, helping build the first ordering and fulfillment software.
CEOs and their tenures
DoorDash
- Ravi Inukonda
Chief Financial Officer
Leads DoorDash's finance organisation and earnings communication with investors.
Source - Tony Xu2013–present
Co-Founder, Chief Executive Officer and Chair
Built DoorDash from a Palo Alto student project into a company with $13.7 billion in 2025 revenue and GAAP profitability since 2024.
Source - Stanley Tang2013–2024
Co-Founder
Tang co-founded DoorDash in 2013 at Stanford, helped run the first Palo Alto delivery pilots and drove early product strategy, later leading DoorDash Labs' work on autonomous delivery and new products.
Source
Instacart
- Apoorva Mehta2012–2021
Founder & Former CEO
Created the company and grew it into North America's largest dedicated online grocery platform.
Source - Fidji Simo2021–2025
Chief Executive Officer & Chair
Shifted Instacart toward profitability and grocery enablement; left in 2025 to become CEO of Applications at OpenAI.
Source - Emily Reuter2024–present
Chief Financial Officer
Leads finance and capital allocation, including the 2026 plan to return most free cash flow through buybacks.
Source - Chris Rogers2025–present
Chief Executive Officer
Became CEO in August 2025 after serving as chief business officer. Under him GTV growth accelerated to 14% in Q4 2025 and Q2 2026, and Instacart expanded AI Solutions, no-markup partner pricing, and international Caper deployments.
Source
Timeline: DoorDash and Instacart side by side
2012Instacart
Instacart Founded
Apoorva Mehta, Max Mullen, and Brandon Leonardo launch Instacart in San Francisco through Y Combinator.
2013DoorDash
PaloAltoDelivery.com Launches
The founders test local restaurant delivery in Palo Alto.
2018DoorDash
DashPass Launches
DoorDash introduces a subscription product to drive consumer frequency.
2020DoorDash
IPO
DoorDash becomes a public company.
2020Instacart
Pandemic Demand Surge
Online grocery demand jumps during COVID-19 lockdowns and Instacart recruits hundreds of thousands of shoppers.
2021Instacart
Caper AI Acquisition
New CEO Fidji Simo buys smart-cart maker Caper AI for $350 million.
2022DoorDash
Wolt Acquisition
DoorDash closes the Wolt acquisition, expanding internationally.
2023Instacart
Nasdaq IPO
Maplebear lists on Nasdaq under CART in September 2023 at $30 per share.
2025DoorDash
SevenRooms Acquisition
DoorDash acquires SevenRooms to add restaurant reservation and CRM software.
2025DoorDash
Deliveroo Acquisition
DoorDash acquires Deliveroo for $3.724 billion in purchase consideration.
2025DoorDash
GAAP Profitability
DoorDash reports $935 million in FY2025 net income.
2025Instacart
CEO Transition and FTC Settlement
Chris Rogers succeeds Fidji Simo as CEO in August; in December Instacart agrees to $60 million in FTC consumer refunds.
2026DoorDash
Q2 2026 Revenue Up 36%
Revenue reaches $4.45 billion and adjusted EBITDA $914 million in Q2 2026.
2026DoorDash
AI Ordering Agent Launch
DoorDash introduces a text-to-order AI agent inside Apple Messages.
2026Instacart
Arpalus Deal and 14% GTV Growth
Q2 2026 GTV reaches $10.35 billion and Instacart acquires computer-vision firm Arpalus.
Acquisitions
DoorDash
- SevenRooms2025Undisclosed
- Deliveroo2025Undisclosed
- Wolt2022Undisclosed
- Caviar2019$410M
- Scotty Labs2019Undisclosed
Instacart
- Arpalus2026Undisclosed
- Eversight2022Undisclosed
- Rosie2022Undisclosed
- FoodStorm2021Undisclosed
- Caper AI2021$350M
- Unata2018$65M
Questions about DoorDash vs Instacart
Who is the CEO of DoorDash, Inc. and Maplebear Inc. (Instacart)?
DoorDash, Inc. is led by Tony Xu and Maplebear Inc. (Instacart) is led by Chris Rogers. Both serve as the top executive responsible for the company's strategy, operations, and financial performance.
When was DoorDash, Inc. founded vs Maplebear Inc. (Instacart)?
Maplebear Inc. (Instacart) was founded in 2012 — 1 year before DoorDash, Inc., which was founded in 2013. Maplebear Inc. (Instacart)'s longer operating history gives it a deeper track record but also potentially more institutional inertia compared to the younger DoorDash, Inc..
How many employees does DoorDash, Inc. have compared to Maplebear Inc. (Instacart)?
DoorDash, Inc. employs approximately 31,400 people, while Maplebear Inc. (Instacart) employs approximately 3,400. DoorDash, Inc. has the larger workforce at 31,400 employees, compared to Maplebear Inc. (Instacart)'s 3,400. A higher headcount does not necessarily imply greater efficiency — it often reflects differences in business model (e.g., manufacturing vs. software).
Where are DoorDash, Inc. and Maplebear Inc. (Instacart) headquartered?
Both DoorDash, Inc. and Maplebear Inc. (Instacart) are headquartered in United States, meaning they operate under the same primary regulatory and tax environment.
Who founded DoorDash, Inc. and Maplebear Inc. (Instacart)?
DoorDash, Inc. was founded by Tony Xu, Stanley Tang, Andy Fang, Evan Moore. Maplebear Inc. (Instacart) was founded by Apoorva Mehta, Max Mullen, Brandon Leonardo.
Which company has a longer operating history — DoorDash, Inc. or Maplebear Inc. (Instacart)?
Maplebear Inc. (Instacart) has been operating for approximately 14 years, making it the more established of the two companies. DoorDash, Inc. has been in operation for around 13 years. A longer operating history often signals greater institutional resilience and brand recognition, though it can also mean slower adaptation to new market conditions.
Figures come from each company's filings and the sources linked beside them. Amounts reported in another currency are shown in US dollars at an approximate rate and marked with ~. Back to the DoorDash vs Instacart overview