Narayana Murthy Defends 72-Hour Workweek, Cites China’s '996' Rule

On Republic Media Network's ‘Legends’ With Arnab Goswami show, Infosys Founder NR Narayana Murthy spoke about the significance of sacrifice, lessons in corporate governance and reiterated his belief in the concept of a 72-hour workweek.

Narayana Murthy On Why He Endorses 72-Hour Work Week

The legendary founder of tech mammoth Infosys said his emphasis on working long hours comes from placing the nation ahead of personal interests such as increasing your bank balance or taking EMI's.

On the same, he said, “If we have great ideas, if we back it up with extraordinary action in every aspect, every citizen, every bureaucrat, every politician, every corporate leader, every civil society leader, I do think we can do that.”

What Is China’s 9-9-6 Rule and How It Influenced Murthy’s View ?

Sharing a popular rule followed by Chinese entities, Murthy said, "Last year, Catamaran senior and middle level staff went to China and they went to tier 1 cities, tier 2 cities and tier 3 cities. They stayed in tier 3 kind of hotels because we wanted to understand the real China. And you know there is a saying there, 9, 9, 6. You know what it means? 9 am to 9 pm, 6 days a week. And that is 72 hours a week."

Further, he shared that the 75-year-old PM Modi worked 100 hours a week which should serve an inspiration for India's youth to put in extra hours to create fresh opportunities for those with fewer oppurtunities.

Also Read: Physics Wallah Lists at 33% Premium on D-Street Debut - Key Highlights

Indian Youth, Startups & Employees Push Back on Murthy’s Statement

NR Narayana Murthy's mention of the '996 Rule' followed in China to rule out the importance of work-life balance has reignited a debate over social-media platforms on the relevance of work-life balance in an emerging economy like India.

A X user noted, "72-hour weeks don’t create innovation  they create burnout, attrition and low-quality output. >India doesn’t need China’s 9-9-6; it needs high-skill workers, better wages, and productivity-focused culture. > Infosys itself pays modest salaries to freshers so preaching extreme work hours feels disconnected from reality. > Countries win by building talent, not by exhausting it. A well-paid, well-rested engineer outperforms a tired one every single time."

"If the pay grade is good, then no one has an issue working like that. But if anyone expects people to work for a low salary, then it’s a completely weird statement," another X user penned.

"Pay them for overtime, pay them a decent salary, give them enough skin in the game. People will work more on their own," a social media user commented.

NR Narayana Murthy's Lesson In Corporate Governance For Entrepreneurs

The retired chairman of Infosys also shared how the "compassion, generosity and the conviviality of his mother" created the roots of how he governed the Bengaluru-headquartered tech major.

"She taught us the importance of generosity. She taught us the importance of working hard. She taught us  the importance of moving up to hard work, discipline and high aspirations," he said.

In the initial period of Infosys, Murthy made sure that his six colleagues earned 20% higher salary than his remuneration. He kept only "23% equity", while giving up "15% equity to employees, who had not even completed two years of work."