IT billionaire Narayana Murthy suggests 70-hour work week for Indian youth, and internet has this to say

Infosys founder NR Narayana Murthy has invited divided reactions by saying that Indian youngsters should work 70 hours a week if the country has to catch up with the economies thathave progressed ahead in the lasttwo to three decades.

Murthy appeared on the first episode of 3one4 Capital’s podcast 'The Record’, hosted by the former Infosys CFO Mohandas Pai. Murthy spoke about nation-building, technology, and his company Infosys, including his opinion on today’s youth.

Murthy, while reflecting on the economic progress achieved by China, said thatIndia’s youngsters must put in extra hours of work just like Japan and Germany did after the Second World War.

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Murthy said: "India's work productivity is one of the lowest in the world. Unless we improve our work productivity, unless we reduce corruption in the government at some level, because we have been reading I don't know the truth of it, unless we reduce the delays in our bureaucracy in taking this decision, we will not be able to compete with those countries that have made tremendous progress."

Murthy, 77, added:"So therefore, my request is that our youngsters must say, 'This is my country. I'd like to work 70 hours a week.'"

"You know, this is exactly what the Germans and Japanese did after the Second World War; they made sure that every German worked extra hours for a certain number of years."

Internet divided on Murthy's work-week comment

Murthy's comment was hailed by ridesharing company Ola's CEO Bhavish Aggarwal.

"Totally agree with Mr Murthy’s views. It’s not our moment to work less and entertain ourselves. Rather it’s our moment to go all in and build in 1 generation what other countries have built over many generations!" Aggarwal said.

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"I agree with Narayan Murthy. Anticipating extraordinary results while investing only ordinary efforts is unrealistic. If you're content with average outcomes, there's no pressure to push yourself further. But, if you aspire exceptional growth, you've to go extra mile & efforts," wrote another user on X, formerly known as Twitter.

"Narayan Murthy said it right. I feel even 70 is less. If you aspire to become vishwaguru, you can’t cant wait for gov jobs to be created. Collectively 20-45 yr old age group must strive day & night, employ others to make us reach 3rd spot or $10,000 per capita," another user wrote.

But many on the internet denounced Murthy's views.

"Just because Narayan Murthy said you must work 70 hours doesn't mean you have to take him seriously. Swipe out on time. Ignore. Chill," wrote a user.

"While hard work is important, it's equally crucial to prioritize work-life balance, mental health, and employee well-being. Quality work, not just quantity, should be our focus," wrote another.

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