Narayana Murthy, co-founder of Indian IT services company Infosys, believes India's young workers should embrace a 70-hour work week out of pride for their country.
In an interview, Murthy suggested India's economic potential is being held back by low productivity. He pointed to postwar Germany and Japan as examples where citizens worked long hours to rebuild their countries.
Murthy argued today's young Indians should follow that model and be willing to "work 70 hours a week" for India's progress. His comments come as tech company founders like Alibaba's Jack Ma and Twitter's Elon Musk push for longer hours from employees.
Infosys, which Murthy started in 1981 with six engineers and $250, now has a $68 billion market cap. But the founder feels India still lags in fully tapping its capabilities.
His stance sparked debate, with some business leaders agreeing but others pushing back amid rising concerns over work-life balance. Younger workers increasingly reject "hustle culture" and demands for extensive overtime.
While Murthy sees longer hours as a patriotic act, trends show employees globally are moving toward healthier work-life integration and balance. His views represent old school beliefs that workers should devote immense time and sacrifice for companies.
But with younger generations prioritizing flexibility and well-being, the tide appears to be shifting away from founders insisting on 70+ hour work weeks as a point of national or corporate pride.