Liver Doc Calls Goyal's Temple Wearable 'Science Fraud' as Founder Defends Device and Its Research

The argument over Temple, a health-tracking wearable priced at Rs 85,000, has grown sharper this week. Hepatologist Dr Cyriac Abby Philips, known online as The Liver Doc, has responded to a defence from the device's founder, Deepinder Goyal, and he has not softened his position.

Philips has challenged Temple's scientific claims, in particular its stated ability to measure blood flow in the brain and something the company calls 'entropy'. He accuses the company of misleading users with unproven claims and questionable research methodology. Goyal had already answered earlier criticism from medical professionals in a series of posts on X, and Philips's latest post was a reply to those.

His objection is anatomical. In his post he said Goyal had offered no real evidence that a device sold for Rs 85,000 can measure and interpret brain blood flow from the superficial temporal artery. That vessel, he pointed out, lies entirely outside the skull and supplies blood to the side of the face, the temple and the scalp. He called Goyal's reply a 'word salad'.

Philips went further. He wrote that there is no 'our science and your science', only good science, bad science, fringe science and science fraud, and said Team Temple had embraced the last three. He called the device a scam and said there was no doubt about it. He also asked how long the team could rely on responses like 'we are spending millions for you' or 'we are taking the risk', which he said fall short of what is expected from a company whose website claims 'solid science'. He closed by asking whether $900 for a fitness tracker made in India, with different claims attached, was reasonable.

Goyal's defence rests on money, policy and precedent. He said roughly $30 million has gone into developing Temple, including $20 million from his own pocket, and argued that spending on that scale contradicts the idea that the venture is a quick money-maker. He also pointed to a 14-day, no-questions-asked return policy, which he said even Apple does not offer in India. In his telling, if the product doesn't work it fails immediately and the company dies before recovering a tenth of its research spending.

He linked the device to his own career choices as well. Goyal said his decision to step down as CEO of Eternal, the parent company of Zomato and Blinkit, came from a commitment to pursue Temple, not from financial considerations. He added that he would not put his professional reputation at risk for short-term gains.

On validation, Goyal pointed to Whoop, another wearable maker, arguing that established products have also reached the market before their validation studies were published. He said Temple's scientific preprints and independent studies will be released as research progresses, and hinted that several advanced features of the device have not yet been publicly disclosed.

The two sides are talking past each other. Philips is asking for proof that the device measures what it says it does; Goyal is answering with investment figures, a refund window and a promise of future papers. What to watch is whether the preprints and independent studies actually appear, and whether they address the temporal artery question directly.