From Ashneer Grover To Ola CEO, How People Are Reacting To The 70-Hour Work Week Debate
From the Infosys co-founder¡¯s wife Sudha Murthy, former Shark Tank judge Ashneer Grover, to Ola CEO Bhavish Aggarwal, here¡¯s how people are reacting to the 70 hour work week advice given by Narayana Murthy.
It's been nearly a week since Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy¡¯s advice to youngsters about working for 70 hours a week stirred a debate across social media. Ever since the 77-year-old made the statement, social media has been flooded with reactions and opinions.
From the Infosys co-founder¡¯s wife Sudha Murthy, former Shark Tank India judge Ashneer Grover, to Ola CEO Bhavish Aggarwal, here¡¯s how people are reacting to the 70-hour work week statement.
What Did Narayana Murthy Say?
forbes
Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy said last week that he believes that 'young people should work 70 hours a week for India to compete with rapidly progressing economies.' During a conversation with former Infosys CFO Mohandas Pai, Narayana Murthy stated that India's work productivity is relatively low compared to other countries.
How Are People Reacting To His 70-Hour Work Week Statement?
Many industry leaders are reacting to Narayana Murthy's 70-hour work week advice, with some agreeing with him and others not.
Ola CEO Bhavish Aggarwal agreed with the 70-hour work week suggestion, tweeting "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!"
Facebook
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! https://t.co/KsXQbjAhSM
¡ª Bhavish Aggarwal (@bhash) October 26, 2023
On the other hand, former Shark Tank India judge Ashneer Grover weighed in on the issue and said that Murthy's suggestion probably upset the public because work was still being evaluated based on "hours" instead of "outcome".
gqindia
He tweeted "I think junta got offended here because work is still being measured in ¡®hours¡¯ than ¡®outcome¡¯. The other thing is people feeling as if youngster¡¯s laziness is only thing keeping India from becoming developed.
Funny - getting offended unites us more than cricket, religion, caste or language."
I think junta got offended here because work is still being measured in ¡®hours¡¯ than ¡®outcome¡¯. The other thing is people feeling as if youngster¡¯s laziness is only thing keeping India from becoming developed.
¡ª Ashneer Grover (@Ashneer_Grover) October 27, 2023
Funny - getting offended unites us more than cricket, religion,¡ https://t.co/hAai4UOgwU
Backing Narayana Murthy's advice with data, Infosys' former Chief Financial Officer Mohandas Pai tweeted "Interesting data! This is for all ages. NRN advice was for youngsters, people below 30! Prosperity needs hard work, data shows."
Interesting data! This is for all ages. NRN advice was for youngsters, people below 30! Prosperity needs hard work, data shows pic.twitter.com/15j6nCd9uA
¡ª Mohandas Pai (@TVMohandasPai) October 28, 2023
CP Gurnani, the CEO & MD of Tech Mahindra, defended Murthy's advice, saying that those upset over Murthy's statement had missed the bigger picture.
Have been reading about the outrage to Narayana Murthy's 70 hour work statement..
¡ª CP Gurnani (@C_P_Gurnani) October 29, 2023
I believe when he talks of work, it's not limited to the company.. it extends to your self and to your country.. He hasn't said work 70 hours for the company - work 40 hours for the company but¡
Shark Tank India's Anupam Mittal too joined the debate when he shared a selfie with his fellow judges on X. His caption read: "After all these years, still working 70 hour weeks."
After all these years, still working 70 hour weeks ? pic.twitter.com/A9cnbRniGX
¡ª Anupam Mittal (@AnupamMittal) October 28, 2023
Radhika Gupta, MD & CEO of Edelweiss Mutual Fund also weighed in on the ongoing debate. In a veiled reference to the debate kickstarted by Murthy's 70-hour work week comment, she highlighted Twitter's apathy to women who have been multitasking for many hours in a day for many days at a stretch, without making any demands whatsoever.
Between offices and homes, many Indian women have been working many more than seventy hour weeks to build India (through our work) and the next generation of Indians (our children). For years and decades. With a smile, and without a demand for overtime.
¡ª Radhika Gupta (@iRadhikaGupta) October 29, 2023
Funnily, no one has¡
Another Shark Tank India judge, Namita Thappar seemed to disagree on the matter: "Halloween shananigans are always fun, kiddos & me made these goodies,@AnupamMittal if we listen to you & other experts about working 70 hour/ week (plus horrendous commute time) will we ever find time for family, creating precious memories & most importantly for mental health?
Halloween shananigans are always fun, kiddos & me made these goodies,@AnupamMittal if we listen to you & other experts about working 70 hour/ week (plus horrendous commute time) will we ever find time for family, creating precious memories & most importantly for mental health ?? pic.twitter.com/0NIkrfII2f
¡ª Namita (@namitathapar) October 31, 2023
Also Read: Co-Founder Narayana Murthy On Why He Started Infosys
When Did Sudha Murty React?
acropolis.org
A couple of days ago, Narayana Murthy's wife Sudha Murty reacted to the suggestion when she told News18, ¡°He has worked 80 to 90 hours a week, so, he doesn¡¯t know what less than that is. He believes in real hard work and he lived like that. Hence, he has told what he felt."
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