<i>Mehta, in a call with TechCrunch, stated that simply tacking on new cities to his company’s service doesn’t, in a sense, prove much; that’s just hiring.</i><p>I think the whole idea behind geographic expansion is that it proves more people are willing to pay for service X or Y than just those living in the Bay Area, who are perhaps the most amenable cross-section of the country for a service like this.<p>(Not advocating expansion for expansion's sake -- I think Instacart is making a wise choice -- but saying "It's just hiring" is disingenuous.)