Rupifi CEO supports Narayana Murthy’s call for longer work hours: ‘India needs 9-9-6 today’

Rupifi co-founder and CEO Anubhav Jain has come out in support of Narayana Murthy’s recent appeal for young Indians to embrace longer working hours, saying India “needs more 9-9-6 today” if it wants to accelerate economic growth.

In a LinkedIn post on Tuesday, Jain said that extended workweeks should be seen as a commitment to nation-building rather than a glorification of hustle culture. He argued that India needs people willing to “work harder, push boundaries and contribute meaningfully” to the country’s progress.

Jain co-founded the Bengaluru-based B2B digital financing platform Rupifi in 2018 along with Jawaid Iqbal and Ankit Singh. Citing the debate around work culture, he said the focus should be on productivity and intent, not optics, as reported by Hindustan Times.

Murthy recently reignited the national discussion on work-life balance after telling Republic TV that India’s youth should prioritise hard work over comfort, and that China’s rapid rise was powered by its 9-9-6 routine — a 9 am to 9 pm schedule, six days a week.

The model, popular among Chinese tech companies, has also been criticised for its impact on employee health and was ruled illegal by China’s Supreme Court in 2021. Even so, Murthy said India must adopt a similarly rigorous mindset to stay globally competitive.

Echoing that sentiment, Jain wrote that longer working hours played a significant role in China’s economic ascent and that India needs a comparable shift in attitude. He added that responsibility for national development lies with everyone — not only founders — and that professionals across sectors should be prepared to contribute more time and effort to help India move forward.

What is 9-9-6 system?

The 9-9-6 system — long criticised in China — has been widely condemned by labour groups and rights activists for its demanding, often unsafe work conditions. Despite this, Narayana Murthy has cited it as a model India’s workforce should consider.

According to an NPR report, China’s Supreme People’s Court ruled in 2021 that 12-hour workdays are illegal, following rising concerns over worker deaths and stress-related suicides linked to extreme schedules.

Labour organisations and researchers have described 9-9-6 as a form of “modern-day slavery”, arguing that many companies impose harsh, unsustainable hours on employees.

Chinese labour law mandates an eight-hour workday across six days, capped at 44 hours a week. Overtime is limited to 36 hours a month and must be compensated. With the 2021 ruling reinforcing these protections, workers secured a significant legal victory — even as some firms continue to push the 9-9-6 model informally.