‘Work 40 hours for company but work 30 hours for yourself’: Tech Mahindra CEO CP Gurnani

Days after Infosys founder NR Narayana Murthy suggested Indian youngsters should work for a minimum of 70 hours per week if the country wanted to compete with emerging economies, Tech Mahindra MD and CEO CP Gurnani has come out in support saying that the Infosys co-founder’s suggestion is not ‘limited to the company.’

Gurnani took to X (formerly Twitter) to share his take on Murthy’s statement.

He wrote in a post on X on Sunday, "Have been reading about the outrage to Narayana Murthy’s 70-hour work statement…I believe when he talks of work, it’s not limited to the company…it extends to yourself and your country.”

He added, "He hasn’t said work 70 hours for the company – work 40 hours for the company but work 30 hours for yourself…Invest the 10,000 hours that makes one a master in one’s subject…burn the midnight oil and become an expert in your field.”

“THAT is 70 hours of work that can differentiate you as a youngster and in the process your country,” he concluded.

Here's his tweet:

Earlier on 26 October, the Infosys founder shared his opinion in an episode of the first episode of 3one4 Capital’s podcast ‘The Record’ that was aired earlier this week.

"Somehow our youth has the habit of taking not-so-desirable habits from the West, and then… not helping the country. 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. So therefore, my request is that our youngsters must say, this is my country, I’d like to work 70 hours a week," Narayana Murthy said.

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Meanwhile, Marico Group Chairman Harsh Mariwala has differed with Narayana Murthy's '70-hour work week' suggestion and backed the idea of throwing challenges to the youngsters to boost growth and learning.

Taking to X, he wrote, "Undeniably, hard work is the backbone of success, but it is not about the hours clocked in. It's about the quality and passion one brings to those hours."

Adding more, he said, "For our youth to be truly engaged and motivated, we need to ensure they are placed in roles that not only challenge them but also foster growth and learning. When an individual sees a path where hard work translates to a promising future, they are naturally inclined to give their best."

Mariwala also noted that the ultimate objective should be to make work so invigorating and rewarding that the paradigm of work-life balance seamlessly integrates.

"When young professionals are passionate and see purpose in what they do, the need to 'balance' becomes a harmonious blend of personal and professional fulfillment," he concluded.