Narayana Murthy Clarifies 70-Hour Work Week Remark, Stresses Commitment to Less Fortunate Citizens

Infosys co-founder and former CEO, Narayana Murthy, responded to the global debate sparked by his 70-hour work week suggestion. In an interview with CNBC-TV18, Murthy clarified that the focus should be on the commitment to hard work, especially considering the dedication of farmers and factory workers. He expressed gratitude for the subsidized education he received and underscored the responsibility to work extremely hard for the less fortunate citizens of India.

Speaking about his remark, Murthy told CNBC-TV18, "I rationalized it this way. If anybody has performed much better than me in their own field, not necessarily in my field, I would respect, I would call them, and I would say, where do you think I was wrong in saying this? But I didn't find it. A lot of my Western friends, a lot of NRIs, and a lot of good people in India called me, and without exception, they were all very happy. They all said whether it is 70 or 60, that's not the issue."

He further highlighted the issue and said, "The issue is that we have to work hard in this country because the poor farmer works very hard. You know, the poor factory worker works very hard. So, therefore, those of us who received education at a huge discount, thanks to the subsidy from the government for all this education. In my case, I got a scholarship, right from the university. So we owe it to the less fortunate citizens of India to work extremely hard."

Video of Narayan Murthy on CNBC TV 18