Shark Tank India's Anupam Mittal asks L&T head: 'If husband and wife don't look at each other...'

Anupam Mittal, millionaire and Shark Tank India judge, has joined ranks with other business leaders in criticising Larsen & Toubro (L&T) chairperson SN Subrahmanyan for suggesting that employees should work 90 hours a week, including on Sundays.

Shark Tank India judge and Shaadi.com founder Anupam Mittal has joined the list of business leaders reacting to a controversial remark by the chairman of Larsen & Toubro (L&T) SN Subrahmanyan suggesting that employees should work 90 hours a week and even on Sundays to stay competitive.

“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 had said in an undated video that went viral recently.

Reacting to it, Mittal cheekily wrote on X, "But sir, if husband and wife don’t look at each other, how will we remain the most populous country in the world."

But sir, if husband and wife dont look at each other, how will we remain the most populous country in the world
Anupam Mittal (@AnupamMittal) January 11, 2025

The millionaire's post gathered more than a million views.

Industrialist Anand Mahindra also joined ranks with Mittal and declared in a recent chat: "My wife is wonderful. I love staring at her."

Billionaire and RPG Group chairperson Harsh Goenka also took to X and wrote against making employees work on Sundays.

"90 hours a week? Why not rename Sunday to 'Sun-duty' and make 'day off' a mythical concept!" he said. "Working hard and smart is what I believe in, but turning life into a perpetual office shift? That's a recipe for burnout, not success. Work-life balance isn't optional, it’s essential. Well, that’s my view!"

Meanwhile, a spokesperson from L&T 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.”