'My wife loves staring at me on Sundays': Adar Poonawalla on L&T chairman's remark

Serum Institute of India CEO Adar Poonawalla and L&T chairman SN Subrahmanyan

Fuelling the raging debate among business leaders on work-life balance, Serum Institute of India CEO Adar Poonawalla has sided with industrialist Anand Mahindra and hit out at L&T chairman SN Subrahmanyan for suggesting employees work long hours even on Sundays.

When Mahindra declared in a recent chat that his "wife is wonderful" and "I love staring at her," Poonawalla echoed his sentiments. "Yes (Anand Mahindra), even my wife (Natasha Poonawalla) thinks I am wonderful, she loves staring at me on Sundays. Quality of work over quantity always," he wrote on X with the hashtag work-life balance.

Mahindra and Poonawalla were referring to Subrahmanyan's remarks on his employees' personal lives in an undated viral video. In it, the L&T chief was responding to an employee's question about why the company mandated working on Saturdays. “I regret I am not able to make you work on Sundays, to be honest," he replied. "If I can make you work on Sundays, I will be more happy because I work on Sundays also.”

Moreover, challenging the need for time off, he added, “What do you do sitting at home? How long can you stare at your wife? How long can the wives stare at their husbands? Get to the office and start working.”

Subrahmanyan justified his stance with an anecdote about a conversation with a Chinese professional who claimed that China could surpass the US due to its stronger work ethic. According to the anecdote, the Chinese individual said, “Chinese people work 90 hours a week, while Americans work only 50 hours a week.” Drawing parallels, he urged L&T employees to emulate this work culture.

“So that's the answer for you. If you have got to be on top of the world, you have to work 90 hours a week,” he said.

Read more: Naukri founder Sanjeev Bikhchandani recalls meeting L&T chairman: 'He was decent enough'

The video, widely circulated on Reddit, triggered severe criticism, with many users condemning Subrahmanyan's comments as tone-deaf and reflective of outdated corporate practices. Some of them compared his remarks to those of Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy, who had last year urged young professionals to work for 70 hours a week to fasten the country's development.

Following severe criticism, an L&T spokesperson said, “At L&T, nation-building is at the core of our mandate. For over eight decades, we have been shaping India's infrastructure, industries, and technological capabilities. We believe this is India’s decade, a time demanding collective dedication and effort to drive progress and realize our shared vision of becoming a developed nation."

"The chairman’s remarks reflect this larger ambition, emphasising that extraordinary outcomes require extraordinary effort. At L&T, we remain committed to fostering a culture where passion, purpose, and performance drive us forward.”