Mohandas Pai Defends Narayana Murthy’s 72-Hour Workweek Remark, Clarifies It Targets Startup Founders

Mohandas Pai, Chairman of Aarin Capital, issued a strong defence of Narayana Murthy’s remarks urging young Indians to work longer hours. Pai clarified that Murthy’s advice was aimed exclusively at entrepreneurs, startup founders and high-performing innovators — not regular office employees, government staff, retail workers or the broader salaried workforce.

Speaking to ET Now, Pai called the backlash “a misunderstanding”, emphasising that Murthy was referring to teams building globally competitive technology companies, especially in the context of China’s 9-9-6 work culture, where employees often work 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., six days a week.

Not for Bankers, Teachers or Government Employees

Pai reiterated several times that India’s standard workforce is not the target of Murthy’s message.

“This is for

a select group of innovators who want to build unicorns. Ordinary employees are not being asked to work 70 hours. Nobody is asking bank staff or office-goers to do this,” he told ET Now.

He added that the world’s leading tech ecosystems — from China to Silicon Valley — are driven by highly motivated teams who voluntarily work at an intense pace.

Prosperity Needs Both Smarter Systems and Hard Work

Addressing criticism that India needs smarter processes rather than longer work hours, Pai said both are essential.

“Yes, smart systems matter. But you cannot ignore that China and Silicon Valley founders work extremely hard. If Indian startups want to compete, they must match that level of ambition,” he said, adding that innovators should strive to achieve a year’s progress in six months.

Work-Life Balance Doesn’t Apply to Entrepreneurs

According to The Economic Times, Pai said that traditional work-life balance “doesn’t exist” for highly driven founders.

“You are driven by the need to build something great. If you choose entrepreneurship, you slug it out. And there is fulfilment because you are ahead in the race,” he said.
However, he also stressed that imposing 9-9-6–style schedules on employees is both unethical and illegal.

‘If You Don’t Like It, Don’t Do It’

Pai pushed back against criticism directed at Murthy, saying workers should treat the advice as optional.

“Nobody is compelling you. If you want a 9-to-5 job, do it. If you want to be an achiever, push yourself. This is about individual choice,” he told ET Now.

He further clarified that Murthy’s comments were directed at entrepreneurs — not salaried workers concerned about wages.

India Needs Thousands of Innovators

Highlighting rapid advances in AI, quantum computing and deep tech, Pai said that India needs “hundreds of thousands of innovators” to stay globally competitive.

“Entrepreneurs create jobs, value and innovation. Their work ethic will determine India’s future competitiveness,” Pai said.

He emphasised that India’s tech progress will depend on a relatively small but highly motivated group adopting a more intense, self-driven work culture — not on the entire workforce.