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Narayana Murthy on why 70-hour workweek should be ‘a choice’: ‘I used to get to office at 6’

Jan 21, 2025 02:07 PM IST

Narayana Murthy earlier sparked a debate on long hours of work for private employees while sharing his perspective on work ethics and commitment to one's work.

Business tycoon and Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy on Monday issued a clarification on his controversial remarks on a 70-hour workweek, stating that such a schedule "was his personal choice" and should not be forced on anyone.

Narayana Murthy on Monday issued a clarification on his controversial remarks on a 70-hour workweek.(PTI)
Narayana Murthy on Monday issued a clarification on his controversial remarks on a 70-hour workweek.(PTI)

Narayana Murthy made the remarks during the Kilachand Memorial Lecture hosted by the Indian Merchants' Chamber (IMC) on Monday, India Today reported.

"There's nobody who can say you should do this, you should not do it," the Infosys co-founder was quoted as saying by India Today.

It comes after the industrialist sparked a debate on long hours of work for private employees while sharing his perspective on work ethics and commitment to one's work.

Also Read | 'Biwi bhaag jayegi if...': Gautam Adani weighs in on work-life balance debate

While he had previously suggested that young Indians should aim to work 70 hours a week, Murthy, in his recent statement, emphasised that such a lifestyle was his personal choice and should not be taken as a recommendation to be imposed on their employees.

“There’s nobody who can say you should do this, you should not do it,” Murthy said, responding to critics and supporters alike while explaining his work schedule during the initial years of his career.

‘I used to get to office at 6am’: Narayan Murthy on his work choices

"I used to get to the office at 6:20 am and leave at 8:30 pm. I’ve done it for 40-odd years. That’s a fact. So nobody can say that's wrong," he said.

Murthy further clarified that while he followed this routine, he did not expect others to replicate it, stressing that work habits are subjective and should not be part of public debate.

Also Read | SN Subrahmanyan's 90-hour work week remark sparks work-life balance debate; Deepika Padukone and others react

"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," Murthy added.

Murthy's clarification comes amid a growing national conversation about work culture in India, which was triggered by his comments as well as from leaders like Larsen & Toubro (L&T) Chairman SN Subrahmanyan, who supported a 90-hour workweek.

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Their remarks drew sharp criticism from across the corporate world, with many questioning the practicality and ethics of such extreme work expectations.

Later, billionaire industrialist Gautam Adani also weighed in on the debate, stating that work-life balance should be a personal decision.

“Your idea of work-life balance should not be imposed on me, and my work-life balance shouldn’t be imposed on you,” Adani said in a recent interview.

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