I used to be in office at 6:20 am: Infosys founder Narayana Murthy

After triggering a massive debate over his statement that youth should work 70 hours a week, Infosys founder N.R. Narayana Murthy has said that he used to be in the office at 6:20 a.m. In the 3one4 Capital’s podcast titled ‘The Record’ in October, Murthy suggested that India’s youth must work for 70 hours every week in order to boost the country’s productivity. Now, the 77-year-old apparently came out in support of his statement that went viral and drew mixed reactions from people.

“I used to be in the office at 6:20 a.m. and leave the office at 8:30 p.m. and worked six days a week. I know every nation that became prosperous did so through hard work,” Murthy told The Economic Times. “During my entire 40-plus years of professional life, I worked 70 hours a week. When we had a six-day week till 1994, I used to work at least 85 to 90 hours a week. That has not been a waste,” he added.

Murthy’s remark sparked outrage on social media. While some people agreed with him, the majority were sceptical and worried about the health implications of such a demanding work schedule. Murthy also spoke about nation-building, technology, his company Infosys and several other topics — including his opinion on today’s youth on the podcast.

— IANS