Narayana Murthy and Tejasvi Surya were on the same IndiGo flight from Mumbai to Bengaluru recently. And the Infosys co-founder’s now-famous “70-hour work week” remark was the first thing that came to Surya’s mind, as it would for many.
So, when the BJP MP for Bengaluru South, who was sitting next to him on the flight for two hours, quipped that he would strive to meet his “70-hour-a-week target”, Murthy responded by naming someone he believes works more than that.
So, any guesses before we reveal the name?
One more hint: Murthy said that the person works 100 hours a week.
Still, didn’t get it?
Well, according to Murthy, it’s PM Modi. He thinks that the Prime Minister works over 100 hours a week. “The only person I know who probably works 100 hours a week is Prime Minister Modi!” said Murthy after laughing off Surya’s “I’ll strive to meet your 70-hour-a-week target” remark.
‘2-hour masterclass from Murthy’
Surya shared that during the “two-hour masterclass”, they discussed various things, including artificial intelligence, the state of Indian cities, to name a few.
“From AI to manufacturing, state of our cities to upskilling our youth to ethics and leadership – it was a 2-hour masterclass learning from him,” Surya wrote on X.
He further praised him as someone who pioneered the Indian IT services sector and turned it into a “global powerhouse”. “He created wealth for literally lakhs of middle-class families through Infosys,” he further said while sharing a picture with Murthy.
Working long hours is not sustainable: Social media users
“Working long hours doesn’t guarantee success or innovation. Quality over quantity matters. The focus should be on creating a balanced environment where creativity can flourish, not on glorifying overwork,” responded one social media user to Murthy’s post.
Another asked, “How many hours a day did he recommend you work for?”
“Absolutely true. NRN indeed is a great entrepreneur. And the long working hours concept depends on the individual and not the organisation to drive. If you are committed to and want to go the extra mile, achieve great heights, then time does not matter. So let’s stop counting hrs!” commented a third.
A fourth posted, “Working 70 hours a week is not sustainable. I’ve done it occasionally during very important periods. Expecting employees to do this all the time is foolish. The work done will also be mediocre. If your employees need to work 70 hours a week, your project planning sucks.”
Murthy’s 70-hour work week remark
Murthy, two years back, in a podcast episode, said that “youngsters need to work at least 70 hours a week” as he believed back then that “India’s productivity is low”.
He suggested longer working hours to compete with economies like Japan and China. Almost a year later, in 2024, he remained unapologetically resolute, only to add that he “doesn’t believe in work-life balance”. This triggered more people.
He even recalled an anecdote involving KV Kamath, Chairman of Jio Financial Services, who once said, “India is a poor country with a lot of challenges. We first have to get a life, then we can worry about work-life balance.”
Murthy even gave an example of PM Modi, who he said, works 100 hours a week.
At the time, Murthy stood firm, saying he hadn’t changed his views and would “take them to his grave”.
But come January this year, he walked back his stance, clarifying that it was his “personal choice” and that “nobody” can tell the other person what they should or shouldn’t do.