Amid 90-Hour Workweek Debate, a List of Indian CEOs Who Oppose The View

Larsen & Toubro’s chairman, SN Subrahmanyan, has stirred controversy by suggesting a 90-hour workweek and expressing “regret” over not being able to make his employees work on Sundays. His remarks have reignited the ongoing debate about long work hours and working on weekends.

Prominent figures, including RPG Group Chairman Harsh Goenka and actress Deepika Padukone , have voiced their concerns about these statements. Previously, founders like Namita Thapar and Rohit Kapoor also countered Narayana Murthy ’s advocacy of a 70-hour workweek.

‘Different for Employees’: Namita Thapar

Shark Tank India judge and Executive Director of Emcure Pharmaceuticals, Namita Thapar, emphasized the importance of work-life balance in a recent podcast.

Thapar stated that the performance and work culture of salaried employees cannot be compared to that of founders.

“It’s different for employees,” she said. “This is a crock of bull**. Pardon my language. I completely disagree,” she added.

She explained that while entrepreneurs may work long hours for the growth of their businesses and monetary gains, the same cannot be expected of salaried employees.

“For founders, high stakeholders who make tons of money, go for it. Work 24 hours a day forever. But for the common man and woman, there need to be specified work hours,” Thapar said, stressing the health consequences of overworking.

“If my accountant works 20-hour days, he’s not gaining any upside like I am. Instead, he’ll face serious physical and mental health issues,” she noted.

‘Let’s Talk 10 Hours a Week!’: Curefit Founder Mukesh Bansal

Curefit founder Mukesh Bansal shared his perspective on the 70-hour workweek, suggesting an alternative: “10 hours a week dedicated to learning!”

In a LinkedIn post, he wrote, “How do you make an impact and get the most out of your 40 hours or even 70 hours? By continuing to learn! One hour every weekday and five hours over the weekend.”

He highlighted that learning requires sustained effort and compounds over time, creating significant output in the long run.

“Entire knowledge repository of humanity is available at your fingertips. But you still need to put in the hours!” he emphasized.

He concluded by quoting, “Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young.”

‘You Don’t Need to Hustle’: Swiggy CEO Rohit Kapoor

Swiggy Food and Marketplace CEO Rohit Kapoor criticized the hustle culture and highlighted the importance of work-life balance.

“You don’t need to hustle and work till 3 am,” he said in a conversation. “Those who say they work till 3 am never mention that they reach the office at 1 pm the next day,” he added, calling out the glorification of late-night work.

Kapoor stressed that while some days may require extra hours, working late regularly is neither necessary nor healthy. “You need to work but not sacrifice your personal life,” he said.

‘Hard Work or Economic Development’: Zoho CEO Sridhar Vembu

Zoho CEO Sridhar Vembu shared his thoughts on the 70-hour workweek, questioning its necessity for economic development.

Vembu cited examples of countries like Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and China, which developed through intense labor but now face challenges like low birth rates.

“These countries now have such low birth rates that their governments have to beg people to make babies,” he said.

He posed two key questions: “Is such hard work necessary for economic development? Is such development even worth the price of a lonely old age for a large mass of people?”

Vembu argued that extreme work schedules are not essential for economic progress, stating, “It is enough if only a small percentage of the population drives themselves hard maybe 2-5%. The rest of us can maintain a decent work-life balance.”

He concluded, “I don’t want India to replicate China’s economic success if the price is steep demographic decline.”