Narayana Murthy Backs 70-Hour Work Week Culture

Infosys founder NR Narayana Murthy rekindled the debate surrounding work hours by reiterating his stance on the need for India’s youth to work 70 hours weekly to improve overall productivity.

In October, his comments on the podcast “The Record” elicited mixed reactions, sparking discussions about work-life balance and the optimal formula for success.

Now, Murthy has reignited the conversation, declaring that every prosperous nation he knows achieved its success through hard work.

“I used to be in the office by 6:20 am and wouldn’t leave until 8:30 pm, six days a week,” he shared with The Economic Times. “Every country that became prosperous did so through hard work.“

Murthy further elaborated on his own work ethic, revealing that he dedicated 70 hours weekly throughout his four-decade career. He even mentioned a period of even more intense dedication, logging 85-90 hours per week between 1981 (Infosys’ founding year) and 1994, when the company operated on a six-day schedule.

“I believe that working 70 hours a week during my professional life wasn’t a waste,” he asserted.

Murthy credits his parents for instilling in him the value of hard work as the key to escaping poverty. “My parents taught me early in life that the only way we could hope to escape poverty was to work very, very hard,” he stated. “This, of course, assumes that you get the best productivity from each hour of work.”

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While Murthy’s views continue to generate debate, his personal experience and track record of success add weight to his perspective. Whether his 70-hour work week model is universally applicable remains a subject of ongoing discussion.

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