Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy's comments on India's low work productivity and his suggestion that young people in India work a minimum of 70 hours a week have generated massive buzz on social media. Many CEOs, founders, and others in various organisations supported Murthy's perspective, while others on social media platforms criticised his statement.
“Boosting productivity isn't just about working longer hours. It's about getting better at what you do - Upskilling, having a positive work environment and fair pay for the work done. Quality of work done > clocking in more hours,” said Ronnie Screwvala, founder of upGrad and UTV motion pictures.
Many slammed the billionaire for not being considerate of the work-life balance and the mental health of employees. “To ensure a dignified life for workers Ambedkar brought the 8-hour workweek in 1942. It’s hardly implemented. Now.. Narayana Murthy wants to formalise 70 hours per week. What else? pure-vegetarianism, endogamy and women as slaves?” asked Suryakant Waghmore, a professor of sociology at IIT Bombay.
Ola Cabs co-founder Bhavish Aggarwal seconded Narayana Murthy's statement. In a social media post on X, Aggawal said, “Totally agree with Mr Murthy’s views. It’s not our moment to work less and entertain ourselves. Rather it’s our moment to go all in and build in 1 generation what other countries have built over many generations!”
Former CEO of Prasar Bharathi, Shashi Shekhar Vempati, said, “Mr Murthy's comments on hard work have a context. As a young Infoscion in the late 1990s, I remember the missionary zeal with which we put in extra hours, not because it was work but because we were literally making history as Indian IT firms became global brands. Quantum leaps of that nature happen when you make it about a larger goal/purpose and believe in it with a zeal and passion where the number of hours become secondary. This is the context with which the remarks by Mr Murthy need to be understood.”
The Infosys co-founder said that Indian youngsters need to commit to working at least 70 hours a week to compete effectively with countries like China. He pointed out that India's work productivity is notably lower when compared to developed nations. The remarks were made during the first episode of the 'The Record' podcast by 3one4 Capital, in which the 77-year-old was having a conversation with former Infosys CEO Mohandas Pai.
