N. R. Narayana Murthy says he used to arrive at the office at 6:20 a.m. and leave at 8:30 p.m. He worked 14 hours per day, six-and-a-half days per week for 30 years until he retired in 2011 at age 65.
Murthy is the 78-year-old co-founder of Infosys, an Indian technology firm with offices in 56 countries, including the United States. The company offers IT, consulting, and outsourcing services and employs more than 317,000 people worldwide.
Murthy went viral last year for stating that young people in India should work 70 hours per week, even though doing so breaks Indian labor laws. Then, at CNBC’s Global Leadership Summit earlier this month, Murthy refused to back down from his earlier statement and said, “I don’t believe in work-life balance.”
He added that he was “a little bit disappointed” in 1986 when India cut the work week from six days a week to five.
“I was not very happy with that,” he said. He then addressed the 70-hour workweek controversy stating, “I am sorry, I have not changed my view.”
“I don’t believe in work-life balance,” declares Infosys’ Narayana Murthy as he defends his infamous ’70-hour work-week’ comment while talking to Shereen Bhan at CNBC TV18’s Global Leadership Summit#CNBCTV18GLS #CNBCTV18at25 #cnbctv18digital @ShereenBhan pic.twitter.com/Hcrej8DUkw
— CNBC-TV18 (@CNBCTV18News) November 14, 2024
He added that he was “very proud” of putting in 14-hour days at the office, 6.5 days per week.
“Therefore I am not going to take it back,” Murthy said, referring to his 70-hour workweek statement.
Murthy started Infosys in 1981 with six other co-founders and $250 in starting capital.
Infosys became the first India-registered company to be listed on NASDAQ in 1999 and now has a market capitalization of over $92 billion.
Infosys brought in over $18 billion in revenue in fiscal year 2024.
Related: The Case for 14-Hour Workdays — Why New Entrepreneurs Should Embrace the Hustle Before Seeking Work-Life Balance