Kunal Kamra takes a dig at Deepinder Goyal over Temple wearable, questions scientific claims

Comedian Kunal Kamra has taken a swipe at entrepreneur Deepinder Goyal over his defence of Temple, an experimental wearable that Goyal claims can measure blood flow in the brain in real time. The exchange comes after Goyal addressed concerns raised by doctors about the device’s scientific claims and the evidence supporting its technology.

Kamra in a post on X mocked Goyal’s defence of Temple, arguing that it relied heavily on his personal investment, wealth and confidence in the device rather than addressing the scientific and medical concerns raised by doctors. He also questioned the promise of future validation, the involvement of employees and the company’s claims of groundbreaking features, suggesting that the entrepreneur was asking critics to wait years for proof.

What did Deepinder Goyal say about Temple?

Kamra was responding to a post by Goyal, who addressed what he described as concerns among Indian doctors about Temple. In his post, Goyal defended the device’s business model, investment and approach to scientific validation.

Goyal said the company had already spent $30 million building Temple, of which $20 million was his own money. He argued that selling a few thousand devices would recover only a small fraction of that investment.

He also cited the company’s return policy, writing: “First and foremost, a business lesson: if Temple were a scam, and any of what we said weren’t true, people would know it in just a few days of using Temple. We have 14-day, no-questions-asked returns (which even Apple doesn’t offer in India). If the product doesn’t work, it fails out of the gate and the company dies before recovering a tenth of its R&D.”

Goyal said he had left the Eternal CEO role to pursue what he described as a purpose-driven project with Temple. He added that his financial position meant he was not pursuing the venture for quick monetary gains.

“I left the Eternal CEO role to chase purpose with Temple. This is not about money. I have enough of it to last for generations. My incentives are fully aligned with getting the science right. I am not staking a reputation earned over 20 years on making a quick buck,” he wrote.

Goyal says Temple’s scientific validation is under way

Addressing questions about the evidence behind the wearable, Goyal said pre-prints were expected before peer-reviewed publications. He also referred to the development timelines of other wearable technology companies.

“Most wearable companies start with internal studies. Whoop shipped its band in 2015, and the first published validation followed a few years later. We hold ourselves to a higher standard; pre-prints are a step prior to peer reviewed publications, and they are coming up,” Goyal wrote.

He added that the company believed the product had reached a stage where it was valuable enough for people to pay for and use, while further validation continued.

“At some point you have to stick your neck out and say: we believe in our science, and the product is now valuable enough for people to pay for and use. We believe we are there. More validation continues in public,” he said.

Goyal also said the company’s claims could be verified by individuals and institutions and that independent studies would emerge once the device became available for use.

He added that some of Temple’s features had not yet been made public.

What is Temple, Deepinder Goyal’s experimental wearable?

Dubbed Temple, the device is a metallic-coloured, clip-like wearable that Goyal claims can measure cerebral blood flow (CBF) in real time.

According to Goyal, the experimental health-tech device can measure cerebral blood flow in a manner similar to a “miniaturised” MRI.

Cerebral blood flow refers to the circulation of blood through the brain, which supplies it with the oxygen and nutrients required to function. It is said to usually remain unchanged or decline only minimally during ageing.

Temple is currently not a Zomato product and is not available for public or commercial use. Goyal has, however, indicated that the device is “getting there”.

The debate around Temple centres on the scientific evidence supporting its claims and the extent of validation available before the product reaches consumers. Goyal has said further validation is under way, while Kamra’s response has brought renewed attention to the questions being raised about the device.