New Delhi: Clearing the air about his 70-hour workweek remark, Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy has now stated that it can’t be forcefully implemented on others.
Last year, he had sparked a fierce debate on social media by stating that young Indians should work 70 hours a week. He has now come up with an explanation while speaking at IMC’s Kilachand Memorial Lecture. “There’s nobody who can say you should do this, you should not do it,” the Infosys co-founder said.
Listen in to this delightful conversation with @rahulkanwal in which #AdarPoonawalla says working 8 hours is good, sometimes everyone has to stretch, but not always. “Productivity dips after 8 hours”
Also #NarayanMurthy says he went to work at 6.30 am and got back home only at… pic.twitter.com/lHHSFDy8uO
— Sneha Mordani (@snehamordani) January 21, 2025
He also spoked about his initial years at Infosys. According to reports, the Infosys founder said he would go to office at 6:20 am and leave at 8:30 pm for 40 odd years. “That’s a fact. So nobody can say that’s wrong,” he added.
But at the same time, he mentioned that such choices were personal and not meant for public debate.
“These are not issues that should be discussed and debated. These are issues that one can introspect on, one can ingest, and one can come to some conclusion on and do whatever they want,” said Murthy.
His clarification comes after Larsen & Toubro (L&T) Chairman SN Subrahmanyan raked up controversy with his comments in support of a 90-hour workweek.
The comments drew criticism from India Inc’s top leaders.
Rajiv Bajaj, Managing Director of Bajaj Auto, said, “Let it start from the top, and if [it works] as a Proof of Concept, then implement it further down.” He called the practice of measuring work hours “archaic and regressive.”
The second-richest man in India, billionaire industrialist Gautam Adani, also shared his views on work-life balance. In an interview, Adani said, “Your idea of work-life balance should not be imposed on me, and my work-life balance shouldn’t be imposed on you.”
