New Delhi, Jan. 9 -- In the age of clips, memes, and instant expertise, it takes very little for a private experiment to turn into a public controversy. Zomato CEODeepinder Goyal, founder and CEO of Eternal, learnt that firsthand after a brief podcast appearance triggered days of speculation around a small device worn on his temple.

The device-quickly dubbed "Temple" by the internet; went viral after Goyal appeared on entrepreneur Raj Shamani's podcast. Within hours, social media had decided it was everything from a "brain tracker" to an unproven health gadget, complete with warnings, diagnoses, and buying advice for a product that does not yet exist in the market.

As commentary escalated, Goyal broke his silence with a post on LinkedIn...