The discussion on extended working hours has intensified on social media following endorsements from prominent figures in the industry, such as Narayana Murthy and L&T chairman SN Subrahmanyan, who advocate for a 70-90 hour work week.
Subrahmanyan’s remark regarding the desire for employees to work 90 hours per week sparked controversy after he told an employee: “I regret that I am unable to have you work on Sundays. If I could have you work on Sundays, I would be more content, as I myself work on Sundays.” Subrahmanyan’s comments has since gone viral on Reddit and other platforms and he is now being compared with Infosys co-founder Narayan Murthy, who had advocated a 70-hour work week few months ago.
Adding to the debate, Capitalmind founder and CEO Deepak Shenoy shared his insights on productivity and maintaining a healthy work-life balance, igniting new conversations.
In a post on social media platform X, Shenoy discussed his entrepreneurial journey, revealing that he regularly puts in more than 100 hours per week. Despite this, he emphasized that the bulk of productive work typically occurs within just 4-5 hours each day.
Shenoy’s message implies that the key to success lies not in the quantity of hours worked, but in the intensity and focus during those hours. He also raised a challenge to traditional ideas about fixed work hours, asserting that driven individuals will naturally put in the necessary effort without being constrained by strict time limits.
Shenoy shared his thoughts on work-life balance and productivity, saying, “I’ve probably worked 100 hours a week for nearly all my working life, but most of that was as an entrepreneur. You don’t have to enforce working hours. People who are motivated will work happily. In any case, most real work happens in 4-5 hours a day, but you don’t know when that happens.”
He further added: “I still find it difficult to call meetings as work but it takes more energy than what I call work. At some level this working x hours argument is ununderstandable to me. When I play, I will play hard. When I work I’ll work hard. I suggest you find your rhythm, and I hope you find success in that; major economic rewards will come, sometimes now, sometimes later, to people that don’t watch clocks.”
While some industry leaders supported the idea of working 80-90 hours per week, some raised concerns about the concept of a 90-hour work week.
RPG Group Chairman Harsh Goenka, in a post on X platform, stated: “90 hours a week? Why not rename Sunday to ‘Sun-duty’ and make ‘day off’ a mythical concept? Working hard and smart is what I believe in, but turning life into a perpetual office shift? That’s a recipe for burnout, not success. Work-life balance isn’t optional; it’s essential. Well, that’s my view! #WorkSmartNotSlave.”
Helios Capital founder Samir Arora said: “Yes. In the beginning one has to work harder than others to learn, get noticed and get ahead. In my first job after IIM, I worked in Delhi where my hours were routinely from 9 AM to around 10 PM and about an hour each way for travel. I enjoyed it a lot but still sought a job with more sane hours.”
“Bottom line : It is not right to say that the CEO/promoter is working 70 hrs because he is the owner and gets paid much more etc. You have to ask, why that person was able to become CEO or First gen promoter or whatever in the first place. Your choice,” he added.