Ola's Bhavish Aggarwal on Narayana Murthy urging youngsters to work 70 hours a week: 'Totally agree'

Ola CEO Bhavish Aggarwal and Infosys founder Narayana Murthy

Ola CEO Bhavish Aggarwal on Thursday agreed with Infosys founder Narayana Murthy's advice to youngsters in India, urging them to work 70 hours a week to give India a chance to compete with economies that have made tremendous progress in recent decades.

In conversation with former Infosys CFO Mohandas Pai during a podcast, Murthy said that India’s work productivity is among the lowest in the world and to compete with countries like China, India’s youngsters must put in extra hours of work -- like Japan and Germany did after World War 2.

He also blamed other issues like corruption in the government and bureaucratic delays, saying: “India's work productivity is one of the lowest in the world. Unless we improve our work productivity, unless we reduce corruption in the government at some level, because we have been reading I don't know the truth of it, unless we reduce the delays in our bureaucracy in taking this decision, we will not be able to compete with those countries that have made tremendous progress.”

Agreeing with Narayana Murthy, Aggarwal posted on X, "Totally agree with Mr Murthy’s views. It’s not our moment to work less and entertain ourselves. Rather it’s our moment to go all in and build in 1 generation what other countries have built over many generations!"

Totally agree with Mr Murthy’s views. It’s not our moment to work less and entertain ourselves. Rather it’s our moment to go all in and build in 1 generation what other countries have built over many generations! https://t.co/KsXQbjAhSM

— Bhavish Aggarwal (@bhash) October 26, 2023

This view, however, did not seem to find much favour among other professionals as some pointed out that working for extra hours consistently could in fact lead to a drop in productivity among the youth.

"This is utter nonsense, more hours a week would not double the output and growth. It will for sure decrease quality," wrote an X user. Another commented, "Working excessively long hours can indeed have adverse effects on our health, including our reproductive system... A 70-hour workweek may be manageable for some, but it's not sustainable for most. We must prioritise a balanced work culture, ensuring that employees at all levels can thrive and have fulfilling lives outside of work."

Read more: Narayana Murthy says India’s work culture must change: ‘Youngsters should work 70 hours a week’