‘People should do what they want’: Adobe’s Shantanu Narayen on Narayana Murthy’s 70-hr work week pitch

The who’s who of the Indian industry jumped into the 70-hour work week debate after industry doyen Narayana Murthy, Infosys co-founder, said that the youth of the country need to work 12 hours a day for India to catch up with economies that saw tremendous growth in the past two-three decades. While most entrepreneurs and industrialists supported Murthy’s call, Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen has asked youngsters to do whatever works for them without taking the “victim mentality”. 

Narayen, who interacted with students at the Osmania University, was asked to comment on Murthy’s 70-hour work week remark. He said that Adobe, as a company, has never taken attendance based on the number of hours put in, as reported by The Times of India. 

The Adobe chief said that he works hard because he loves what he does and wants to accomplish things. “For me in my career there are times when something is due and you work like crazy. At the same time, there are people in Adobe who work for me and with me and they want to take time off and I support them,” he said. 

Also read: 'India's youth should work 70 hours a week': Narayana Murthy's remark on productivity leaves internet divided

“People should do what they want without taking the victim mentality – that I am being told what to do. You are more in control of your career, your destiny, than you give yourself credit. At the same time, you only have yourself to blame if you don’t like what you do,” said the Padma Shri awardee.

Narayana Murthy, whose 70-hour work week remark kickstarted the discussion on long working hours, himself works for 80-90 hours, his wife, and Infosys Foundation chairperson and author, Sudha Murty said. She said that he believes in hard work and has always lived like that. 

Many industry leaders see merit in Murthy’s 70-hour work week remark. Ola CEO Bhavish Aggarwal was one of the first entrepreneurs to jump into the discussion and back Murthy’s comment, following a debate among netizens on social media. “It is not our moment to work less and entertain ourselves,” he said to the chagrin of many social media users, who then questioned him about work-life balance. 

Former Infosys CFO TV Mohandas Pai backed Narayana Murthy too, as did industrialist Sajjan Jindal, who underscored the importance of finding “passion” in one’s work. Tech Mahindra CEO CP Gurnani also supported Murthy’s remark. 

Also read: Narayana Murthy 'worked 80-90 hours a week': Sudha Murty on ongoing '70 hours-a-week' debate

Edelweiss Mutual Fund MD and CEO Radhika Gupta underscored that Indian women already work for over 70 hours between offices and homes. Marico's founder and chairman Harsh Mariwala  also said that it is not about the hours clocked in but the “quality and passion one brings to those hours”. 

RPG Enterprises Chairman Harsh Goenka said, “It's no longer about working 50 or 70 hours, but about your own ambition, your purpose, and your productivity.”

CureFit founder Mukesh Bansal said that companies demanding 70 hours of work for 40 hours of pay is unfair. Emcure Pharmaceuticals executive director Namita Thapar questioned how anyone will ever find “time for family, creating precious memories, and most importantly for mental health” if they work for 70 hours a week. 

Also read: Ola's Bhavish Aggarwal backs Narayana Murthy for '14 hours a day' work culture: 'Not our moment to entertain ourselves'

Also read: 'Indian women have been...': Edelweiss Mutual Fund's Radhika Gupta on Narayana Murthy's 'work 70 hours a week' comment