Should Indians work 70 hours a week? My answer: sometimes, and for the right reasons. Think of countries as families. The US is like a family that has already built generational wealth. The next generation grows up with better education, access to capital, safety nets, and the freedom to take risks because the foundation is already in place. India is more like a first- or second-generation middle-class family. There is talent and ambition, but very little inherited capital. Progress depends far more on effort, risk-taking, and long hours put in today to build assets for tomorrow. If we want to break out of this cycle, some of us will need to put in disproportionate effort. In a recent article by Ben Horowitz (link in comments), he makes a sharp point: any country that wants to win and lead must win technologically. And this is where India still lags. We produce some of the best developers in the world, yet we are far behind the US and China when it comes to original technological innovation, platforms, and global tech leadership. That said, this is not a blanket call for everyone to work extreme hours. If you do not own equity, you absolutely should not feel obligated to do so. If a 9–5 job works for you, that is a perfectly valid choice. Not everyone should be an entrepreneur, and not everyone has the same risk appetite (Morgan Housel explains this beautifully in The Psychology of Money). But for people early in their careers, I do think we push the idea of job security too early. This is the phase where taking risk matters most. Where owning equity matters. Where building something matters. That could mean joining an early-stage company, negotiating ownership, or starting something with a partner. If India wants to move from execution to innovation, we need more people actively pursuing technological wins. Without ownership, risk-taking, and long-term bets, we will keep producing talent for other economies instead of building our own. Enough of us should be willing today to get that technological win. #India #70HoursWorkWeek #GlobalLeader

Jaan le lo Indians ki. #70HoursWorkWeek #90HoursWorkWeek

ರಾತ್ರಿ 12 ಗಂಟೆ - ಕೊತಂಬ್ರಿ ಸೊಪ್ಪು ತರೋಕೆ ಹೋಗೋದು ರಾತ್ರಿ 2 ಗಂಟೆ - ಫರ್ನಿಚರ್ ಕೆಲಸ ಮಾಡೋಡು #70hoursworkweek ಮಾಡುವವರು ಇವ್ರೆಲ್ಲ, ನೋಡಿ ಕಲೀರಿ ಎಲ್ರು.

It's more efficient work instead of glorifying burnout. The youth want balanced lives, not endless hours at a desk. After the backlash over the #70HoursWorkWeek debate, it’s clear: the future is about working smarter, not longer. yet, here we are smart India.

"Asking Work More? Why Not Pay More?" "70 hours work, 12 hours travel—youth will RIP." 1. "800M on free rations, but yeah, let’s totally work 70 hours a week to fix your golden policies. Next stop: 90 hours to fund your next genius idea!" 2. "70 hours work 12 hours commute = The ultimate youth achievement: RIP dreams, welcome survival mode. Bonus: Free ration for dinner!" 3. "800M in poverty? Forget 70-hour speeches—how about 7 policies that don’t sound like a corporate motivational poster?" 4. "Youth working 70 hours = GDP charts up. Youth collapsing = Nation’s future face down. But hey, sacrifices for your respect, right?" 5. "‘Highest level’? Sure, but can we unlock the basic levels first—like jobs, education, and healthcare? Or is this a pay-to-win game now?" 6. "If the system can’t work hard for 800M people, why should the people work hard for the system? Hot take: Fix the engine, not the driver." 7. "Want the economy to grow? Start paying people more, not praying for them to clock in longer. Hint: Rations don’t boost buying power!" 8. "70-hour work weeks and 800M in poverty? This isn’t a growth model; it’s an unpaid internship for survival." Add a finishing punch: "70-hour sermons won’t cut it; we need 70-second realizations on who’s really slacking here!" #5daybanking #NarayanaMurthy #70hoursworkweek

He keeps on talking nonsense...first #70HoursWorkWeek and now #PopulationControl...fertility rates are going down in all parts of lndia. Govt should focus on fixing fixing potholed roads, crumbling airports ... instead of population control.

Indian CEOs bashing Work Life Balance: 1. Current Situation - India is a heaven of cheap labour. - Securing a job is tough. - Working over 40 hours a week is already the norm. - Job stability is lacking, you can get fired anytime. - Lengthy commutes adds to the long working hours. - A normal working person can’t find personal time after work. 2. Corporate CEOs' Views - CEOs like Narayana Murthy and Bhavish Aggarwal advocate for 70-hour workweeks to boost productivity. - They believe it will contribute to national progress. - These recommendations often aim to increase company profits. 3. Scientific Findings from @hyderabaddoctor - Working 55 or more hours a week increases the risk of stroke by 35% and heart disease by 17% compared to working 35-40 hours. - Over 800,000 people die each year due to excessive working hours. - Long hours are linked to a higher risk of being overweight, pre-diabetes, and type 2 diabetes. - Working 69 or more hours a week increases the likelihood of severe depressive symptoms compared to working 40 hours. 4. My Opinion - Executives who advocate for 50-70 hour workweeks keep most of the financial gains. For example, the Infosys CEO earns ₹662.4 million, while a fresh software engineer earns only 4-8 Lacs annually. - Indian CEOs parrot Western ideas about work-life balance, but it doesn’t even exist in India. - There is apathy towards the working middle class from the elites of India. - India’s large population reduces the perceived value of individual lives, leading to less emphasis on employee well-being. - Long working hours can be harmful to health and do not always lead to better financial outcomes. Companies need to focus on reasonable working hours and employee well-being to promote a healthier and more productive work environment. - Employees should seek out organisations that prioritise work-life balance and fair treatment to ensure better job satisfaction and overall health. #70hoursworkweek #worklifebalance #overworking #ola #infosys #cred

70-hour work week: Ola CEO reignites debate; Hyderabad doctor warns of premature death telanganatoday.com/70-hour-w… (Published in @TelanganaToday based on one of my recent posts) #70hoursworkweek #WorkLifeBalance

Ola CEO calls for 70 hours work week, doctor warns of diseases, premature death risk #OLA #OLAceo #70HOURSworkWeek #WorkLifeBalance #Doctors #diseases #prematuredeath #BhavishAggarwal #Infosys #NarayanaMurthy #YesPunjab yespunjab.com/?p=8081

Ola CEO Bhavish Aggarwal backs Narayana Murthy's 70-hour work week advice: Do you agree? What do the scientific studies show? ➡️Working 55 or more hours per week is associated with a 35% higher risk of a stroke and a 17% higher risk of dying from ischemic heart disease, compared to working 35-40 hours a week. ➡️More than 800,000 people die every year due to working for more than 55 hours a week. ➡️Long working hours are associated with a higher risk of being overweight, prediabetes and type 2 diabetes. ➡️People working 69 or more hours a week are more likely to have moderate to severe depressive symptoms than those working 40 hours a week. So, it is clear that working long hours is associated with increased risk of multiple serious diseases and even premature death. CEOs are inclined to recommend long working hours for their employees to improve their company's profits and their own net worth. If employees fall sick, they can be "easily substituted". So, it is in your best interest to choose an organization that cares for employees and recommends reasonable working hours- to ensure a better work-life balance. #70hoursworkweek #worklifebalance #overworking

“आठवड्यात ७० तास काम करण्याबाबत ओरी व नारायण मूर्ती यांच्यात चर्चा व्हावी”, प्रसिद्ध उद्योगपतींनी व्यक्त केली इच्छा loksatta.com/manoranjan/hars… via @loksattalive #NarayanaMurthy #orry #OrhanAwatramani #70hoursworkweek

ಇನ್ಫೋಸಿಸ್‌ನ ಸಾಲು ಸಾಲು ಅಧಿಕಾರಿಗಳು ರಾಜೀನಾಮೆ, ಕೆಲಸದ ಕುರಿತು ನಾರಾಯಣ ಮೂರ್ತಿ ಹೇಳಿಕೆಗೆ ಹೈರಾಣಾದ್ರಾ? #Infosys #Resign #NarayanaMurthy #NilanjanRoy #SeniorOfficers #70hoursworkweek #infosysofficers kannada.asianetnews.com/busi…

70 hrs per week analysis for software companies Revenue - Expenditure = Profit Software company revenue model is linked to man hours spent by a employee and usually are paid $30 to $50 per hour by the cilents. While the expenditure is only in lump sum salary payment and average salary of bulk of the employees is around Rs 4 lakhs per annum. In either case of 40 hrs or 70 hrs, the cost will be same, but you can see per hour cost varies In 40 hrs per week, cost per hour = Rs 208 while in 70 hrs per week the cost per hour = Rs 119. There is almost a 43% decrease in cost. Now let us take the revenue side, Revenue is linked to man hours. There is a increase of 75% increase in revenue. So with 70 hrs per week, a software company can increase its revenue by 75% and decrease its cost by 43% resulting in a bumper profits for the management. Software engineers will continue to get peanuts the bosses will take all the productivity gains… #70hours #70hoursworkweek

70-hour work debate - pay should also match. We should introduce overtime provisions in the service industry, like in manufacturing. (My views included in BizzBuzz news today). Link: bizzbuzz.news/corporate/matc… @debasismohapat7 #EIIRTrend #news #70hoursworkweek

#Narayanmurthy's statement about India working 70 hours/week has ignited a viral debate! 🕒 As per the International Labour Organisation, India works ~50 hours per week. Here are the work hours of other major global economies. 💼 How do you feel about the #70hoursworkweek 💬#WorkWeekDebate #70hrs #infosys

#BrilliantBaddies by @thevirdas on the #70hoursWorkWeek #NarayanMurthy

'You can’t demand #70hourswork at salary of 40 hours.' #CureFit founder Mukesh Bansal says no to virtue signalling, feels firms demanding long hrs need to create proportional upside . #NarayanaMurthy #Infosys #70hoursWorkWeek economictimes.indiatimes.com…

Contrary to what some people say, there are not two, but four groups of people in #70hoursworkweek debate (maybe more). Examples from posts that appeared in my TL 1: x.com/bhash/status/171812845… 2: x.com/c_p_gurnani/status/171… 3: x.com/DrDeepakKrishn1/status… Who is in Quadrant 4?

70 hours per week - The idea or notion is great and the youth should be more energetic , keeping themselves busy and more productive but for rest of the time , you should enjoy life and for that you need good pay. If someone is decently paid for 70 hours per week based upon the number of hours he/she spends , I think it would make sense. #infosys #70hoursworkweek

The world missed the point. #70HoursWorkWeek