CRED's Kunal Shah says, 'No big achievement can come with work-life balance'

Kunal Shah, the founder and CEO of CRED

CRED founder Kunal Shah has said that although "work-life balance" is a personal choice, he believes that no big achievement can come from it.

"I am not saying it is not a choice you should not make - it is a personal choice. But as a country, we have to go a long way," Shah was quoted as saying by Business Today. He added that India has adopted the Western concept of a "chill life" before becoming a developed nation.

The fintech founder's remarks come days after Infosys founder Narayana Murthy sparked a debate after he urged youngsters to work 70 hours a week so that India's collective productivity goes up since the country ranks low compared to others such as China and Japan.

Speaking along similar lines, Kunal Shah said, "We see an extraordinary execution (in China). It's called the 996 culture -- 9 am to 9 pm, six days a week. And you see that progress. We cannot have the ambition of being a 10-20 trillion dollar economy and still expect that life should be chill."

Interestingly, the 996 work culture has often been referred to as brutal with reports of professionals dying from exhaustion and even suicide. The seriousness of the situation even led the Chinese government to step in and issue a stern reminder to companies that such punishing work schedules are in fact, illegal, the BBC reported.

Also, following Narayana Murthy's "advice" several health professionals and industry experts pointed out that working such long hours can lead to severe physical and mental health complications.

Read more: Bengaluru cardiologist on Narayana Murthy’s 70-hour work week advice: 'Wonder why young people are getting heart attacks'