“Will Take It To My Grave”: Narayana Murthy Firm On “70-Hour Workweek” Comment

Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy has defended his controversial 70-hour workweek comments and added that hard work is crucial to India’s progress. “I am sorry, I have not changed my view. I will take this with me to my grave,” Mr Murthy said at the CNBC Global Leadership Summit.

The veteran entrepreneur said he was “disappointed” with India’s shift from a six-day workweek to a five-day workweek in 1986. Mr Murthy also said that India’s development requires sacrifice, not relaxation.

Drawing attention to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 100-hour workweeks, he said, “When PM Modi is working that hard, the only way to show our appreciation for what’s happening around us is by working just as hard.” 

He pointed to the example of post-WWII Germany and Japan, suggesting India follow a similar path of hard work and national rebuilding. “This is what they did to rebuild their countries,” Mr Murthy noted.

Mr Murthy also shared personal insights into his work ethic, revealing that throughout much of his career, he maintained an intense schedule of 14-hour days, six and a half days a week. He would arrive at the office by 6:30 am and leave at around 8:40 pm. “I’m proud of it,” he said.

The 78-year-old entrepreneur firmly believes hard work is the only path to success. “We need to work hard in this country. There is no substitute for hard work. Even if you are the most intelligent guy you have to work hard.”

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To improve the delivery of public services, Mr Murthy had a suggestion for PM Modi. He proposed that the government consider hiring more managers with formal training over administrators selected through the current civil services examination system.

Once a candidate is selected, he or she will be taken to Mussoorie (where the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy Of Administration is located) for training, where he or she will be trained in specialised sector agriculture, defence or manufacturing, which is a departure from the current practice of creating general administrators, he said.

The successful candidates will become subject matter experts once the training is over and serve the country in their respective fields for 30-40 years, Mr Murthy said.