Veeba founder and Shark Tank India judge Viraj Bahl has strongly opposed the concept of a 70-hour workweek, calling it a “batsh**t crazy” idea for employees. His comments come months after Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy sparked debate over India’s work culture by suggesting longer work hours to boost productivity.
Speaking on ‘The Rockford Circle’ podcast with Chitrangada Singh, Mr Bahl called the 70-hour workweek a “batsh**t crazy” expectation for employees. He argued that while it’s reasonable for a founder – who directly benefits financially – to work such long hours, expecting the same from employees without fair compensation is irrational.
“It is okay for a founder to work 70 hours because he is the biggest commercial gainer out of a 70-hour work week,” Mr Bahl said. “To expect your team to work 70 hours is crazy. Either compensate them in the same way you are getting compensated for working 70 hours, proportionately, or do not expect them to work 70 hours.”
Talking about his own company, he revealed that Veeba has recently reduced their employees’ working hours and they no longer put in more than 40 hours a week.
“Expecting someone to work 70 hours without an equity upside is outdated. I think it’s an obsolete idea. Seventy-hour weeks should not happen,” he said.
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The work-life debate started when Narayana Murthy said that India’s work productivity is one of the lowest in the world and asked the youth to contribute towards building the culture so that India can compete effectively on the global stage.
At the CNBC Global Leadership Summit, Mr Murthy defended his controversial comment and added that hard work is crucial to India’s progress. “I am sorry, I have not changed my view. I will take this with me to my grave,” he said.
The veteran entrepreneur added that he was “disappointed” with India’s shift from a six-day workweek to a five-day workweek in 1986. Mr Murthy also said that India’s development requires sacrifice, not relaxation.
Larsen & Toubro (L&T) Chairman SN Subrahmanyan also faced backlash for his remarks on a 90-hour workweek. In a video from an internal interaction that surfaced on Reddit, he suggested employees should work on Sundays and questioned the value of time spent 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,” he had said, sparked widespread criticism, including from Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone.
