Narayana Murthy Advocates 72-Hour Work Week

N. R. Narayana Murthy, founder of Infosys, has once again sparked a nationwide debate in India by advocating for a 72-hour work week, drawing parallels to China's '996' work culture. He suggested that Indian youth should adopt similar rigorous work hours to foster national development. This proposal, which implies working from 9 AM to 9 PM, six days a week, has been met with significant criticism from professionals and social media users in India, who point to issues like poor infrastructure, high cost of living, stagnant wages, and the risk of burnout. Critics also highlight that China's '996' system was declared illegal by the China — State Council of China in 2021 due to its detrimental effects on employee health and work-life balance, despite inconsistent enforcement. N. R. Narayana Murthy's family investment office, Catamaran Ventures, had previously sent staff to China to study its work conditions. The discussion underscores a fundamental question for India's corporate sector: whether productivity should be achieved through extended hours or through strategic investments in technology, skills, and efficient systems.