‘6.30 to 2.30 pm for 40 years’: Narayana Murthy clears the air on the 70-hour work week debate.
Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy sparked controversy with his advice to young people to work 70-hour weeks. On Monday, he made it clear that no one can decide on such a commitment — it’s a personal choice, not a public discourse.
Reflecting on his own career, Murthy says, “I used to reach office at 6:30 am and leave at 8:30 pm. I’ve been doing it for almost 40 years. That is the reality,” he said after delivering the Kilachand memorial speech at the IMC, adding, “These are not matters for debate. They are deeply personal decisions. No one can say ‘do or don’t’.
Murthy’s comments add to the recent call for 90-hour workweeks by L&T chairman SN Surahmanyan amid a growing debate on work-life balance. Murthy framed his speech with a strong statement: a moral responsibility to uplift the nation’s poor.
“A child in poverty can only have a better future if I work hard, work smart, earn money and pay taxes,” he said.
It is drawn from Max Weber’s sociological work to emphasize that hard work, discipline and moral values drive national success.
For India, where 60% of the population lives on free food grain programs, such efforts are not just personal—they are essential to economic strength.
Murthy expressed concerns about the credibility of capitalism, citing corporate greed as a major cause of public distrust. “We want compassionate capitalism – fairness, transparency, honesty and putting the good of society before personal gain,” he said.
He warned that corporations cannot thrive in failing societies and urged business leaders to adopt this ethos for their own survival.
Asked about the lavish lifestyle of corporate leaders, Murthy dismissed the verdict saying, “It is their right to spend their money as they see fit if no law is violated.” However, he reiterated that civil society is a priority to improve the lives of future generations, calling on corporate India to adopt a long-term and socially responsible approach.