Not 70, more like 140: Ola CEO Bhavish Aggarwal adds more fuel to Narayana Murthy debate

Ola CEO and fouder Bhavish Aggarwal has added more fuel to the '70 hours a week' debate started by Infosys founder Narayana Murthy.

"Putting in the hours. Not just 70, more like 140! Only fun, no weekends!" tweeted Aggarwal.

Aggarwal had earlier also expressed his support for longer work hours. "Totally agree with Mr Murthy’s views. It’s not our moment to work less and entertain ourselves. Rather it’s our moment to go all in and build in 1 generation what other countries have built over many generations!" the Ola CEO had tweeted earlier.


"Our Grandparents generation fought for independence. Our Parents generation fought for roti kapda makaan. Like it or not, our generation is destined to build India to the largest economy. It will take every effort. No better satisfaction than to contribute in this journey!" he added in another tweet.


Murthy had recently suggested that young individuals should be willing to dedicate 70 hours a week to work for the betterment of the nation. This call for a dedicated labor force has garnered support from various influential figures, including SW Group Chairman Sajjan Jindal.

Jindal, echoing Murthy's sentiment, expressed his wholehearted endorsement of the statement, emphasizing that it is not about burnout but rather about dedication. He believes that India needs to strive to become an economic superpower by 2047, and a five-day workweek culture is insufficient for a rapidly developing nation of India's size. Jindal shared his thoughts on X (formerly Twitter), stating, "We have to make India a nation that we can all be proud of. A 5-day week culture is not what we need."

However, media baron and upGrad founder Ronnie Screwvala holds a different perspective on boosting productivity. He stresses that it is not solely about working longer hours but also about upskilling, creating a positive work environment, and ensuring fair compensation for the work done. Screwvala believes that the quality of work holds more significance than the number of hours spent.

During a recent conversation with Mohandas Pai on "The Record," a video series by 3one4 Capital, Infosys founder Murthy expressed his concern about India's low work productivity compared to other countries. “Our culture has to change to that of highly determined, extremely disciplined and extremely hardworking people. That transformation has to come to youngsters because youngsters form a significant majority of our population at this point of time. They are the ones who can build our country you know with gusto,” he said.