Narayana Murthy Advocates 70-Hour Work Week: Insights from Global CEOs

Infosys founder NR Narayana Murthy ignited a substantial online debate by advocating for a 70-hour work week. During a podcast appearance, Mr. Narayana Murthy highlighted India’s low work productivity on a global scale and urged the youth to contribute to cultivating a culture that would enable India to compete effectively worldwide. He drew parallels with Japan and Germany, two countries that implemented extended working hours post-World War II. However, he is not the first corporate leader to propose such an approach.

Bhavish Aggarwal, CEO of Ola, endorsed Mr. Narayana Murthy’s advice, stating on X (formerly Twitter) that it is “our moment to go all in and build in one generation what other countries have constructed over many generations.”

This is not the first time Mr. Narayana Murthy has called for long working hours. In 2020, he encouraged professionals to work 60 hours a week for two to three years to stimulate the post-pandemic economy.

Jack Ma, the founder of Alibaba, previously endorsed China’s tech industry’s controversial “996” rule, which entails working from 9 am to 9 pm six days a week and is common among the country’s major technology companies and startups. However, this drew criticism from Chinese social media users who argued that it adversely affects family life.

Elon Musk, the world’s richest individual and CEO of multiple companies, asked Twitter staff to work more than 100 hours per week after acquiring the company in October of the previous year. Musk emphasized the need for an “extremely hardcore” approach for Twitter’s success, sharing that he sometimes sleeps in the office and expects the same commitment from the staff.

Similarly, Shantanu Deshpande, CEO of Bombay Shaving Company, stated in a LinkedIn post that newcomers should work 18 hours a day for at least 4-5 years, alongside maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

Surveys have shown varying work patterns among CEOs. A Harvard Business Review survey from 2018 revealed that U.S. CEOs work 9.7 hours on weekdays and an additional 3.9 hours on weekends. They often dedicate extra time during weekends and vacations. Another survey of 357 Indian CEOs of listed Indian manufacturing firms indicated that the average Indian CEO works 39 hours a week, equating to 8-9 hours per weekday.