Ola CEO Bhavish Aggarwal Supports Narayana Murthy Work Week Advice

Ola CEO Bhavish Aggarwal reiterated his support for Infosys founder Narayana Murthy’s advice advocating a 70-hour work week. Speaking on a podcast, Aggarwal said he does not support the concept of work-life balance.

Bhavish Aggarwal Stand on Work-Life Balance:

Aggarwal shared, “When Mr. Murthy said that (70-hour work week), I publicly supported that, and I got trolled on social media for that. But, I don’t care because I strongly believe that one generation will have to do tapasya… so that we can build the number one country in the world, the largest economy.”

He added, “I don’t agree with the work-life balance concept because if you enjoy your work, you will find happiness in both life and work, and both will be in harmony.”

Narayana Murthy’s Original Comment:

Earlier, Infosys founder N.R. Narayana Murthy suggested that young people must work 70 hours a week for India to compete with economies that have advanced significantly in the past 2-3 decades. This comment sparked a huge debate in the country.

Narayana Murthy Explanation:

Murthy clarified his stance: “I used to work 85-90 hours a week until I retired. I received a scholarship right from my pre-university in 1961. All my friends who went to engineering college received a lot of help from the government in terms of their fees—a highly discounted figure.”

He continued, “Therefore, my view has always been that those of us in India who have received so much benefit from the country from the taxpayer have an enormous responsibility to work very hard to bring a chance for the betterment of life of the poorer sections of the society. Therefore, I don’t regret it.”