He believes in real hard work: Sudha Murty defends Narayana Murthy’s ‘70 hours a week’ remark

Narayana Murthy, founder of Rs 5.6 trillion IT company Infosys, has been facing heat from young workers online after he suggested that Indian youth should work for 70 hours a week. The 77 year old IIT-graduate said in an interview that a 70-hour work week for youth will boost the country's overall productivity. While Narayana Murthy is cherished for his vision and philanthropy, the latest remark has brought him some negative attention and his wife Sudha Murty has now come out to his defense.

Author and head of Infosys Foundation, Sudha Murty, has revealed that Narayana Murthy has worked 80 to 90 hours a week. While speaking to News18, Sudha Murty said that ”he has worked 80 to 90 hours a week, so, he doesn’t know what less than that is. He believes in real hard work and he lived like that. Hence, he has told what he felt”.

She also added that her husband believes in passion and “real hard work”.

When asked if she had tried explaining to him how things operate in corporate settings these days, Murty responded, “People have different ways of expression. But he lived like that, he walked the talk. So, he has shared his experience”. While some people support Murthy’s view, arguing that India needs to improve its work culture in order to compete with other countries, others have criticised the same.

Anupam Mittal, founder of Shadi.com, has shared a selfie with his fellow judges of Shark Tank India in his latest post on X, saying that “after all these years, still working 70-hour weeks”.

Giving a detailed explanation of what the Infosys founder might have meant, Tech Mahindra CEO CP Gurnani said, “I believe when he talks of work, it’s not limited to the company.. it extends to yourself and to your country. He hasn’t said work 70 hours for the company – work 40 hours for the company but work 30 hours for yourself.”

“Invest the 10,000 hours that make one a master in one’s subject.. burn the midnight oil and become an expert in your field,” he added.

However, RPG Enterprises Chairman Harsh Goenka has disagreed with Murthy’s view. In a post on X, Goenka wrote, “the 5-day office week is dead! People are working nearly 33 per cent of their office time remotely, and it’s a game-changer. Flexibility is worth as much to people as an 8 per cent raise.”

“Hybrid work is the present and the future. It’s all about blending office and remote work to suit your needs. It’s no longer about working 50 or 70 hours, but about your own ambition, your purpose, and your productivity,” he added. (with inputs from IANS)