'Not for ordinary employees': Mohandas Pai clarifies Narayana Murthy's 72-hour workweek pitch
He further mentioned that the world's leading tech ecosystems are driven by highly motivated teams who voluntarily work at an intense pace.
- Nov 19, 2025,
- Updated Nov 19, 2025 6:05 PM IST
Aarin Capital Chairman Mohandas Pai said recently that Infosys founder N.R. Narayana Murthy's request to young Indians to work longer hours. Pai said that Murthy's remarks were aimed only at entrepreneurs, startup founders and high-performing innovators and not at ordinary employees.
Pai said that the backlash against the Infosys founder's take was "a misunderstanding". He explained that Narayana Murthy referred to teams that are building globally competitive tech companies, especially in the context of China's 996 rule.
"This is for a select group of innovators who want to build unicorns. Ordinary employees are not being asked to work 70 hours. Nobody is asking bank staff or office-goers to do this," Pai, who has served as the CFO for Infosys, said in an interview with ET Now.
He further mentioned that the world's leading tech ecosystems are driven by highly motivated teams who voluntarily work at an intense pace, adding that founders in China and Silicon Valley work extremely hard.
“Yes, smart systems matter. But you cannot ignore that China and Silicon Valley founders work extremely hard. If Indian startups want to compete, they must match that level of ambition," Pai noted.
Furthermore, he told The Economic Times that the traditional work-life balance "doesn't exist" for highly driven founders. “You are driven by the need to build something great. If you choose entrepreneurship, you slug it out. And there is fulfilment because you are ahead in the race."
Pai, however, noted that imposing the 996-style work schedules on employees is unethical and illegal.
What did Narayana Murthy exactly say?
In a recent interview, the veteran industrialist pitched a 72-hour workweek again, citing China's example. He validated his pitch by highlighting the '996 rule' followed by Chinese tech companies.
"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," the Infosys founder further said.
Aarin Capital Chairman Mohandas Pai said recently that Infosys founder N.R. Narayana Murthy's request to young Indians to work longer hours. Pai said that Murthy's remarks were aimed only at entrepreneurs, startup founders and high-performing innovators and not at ordinary employees.
Pai said that the backlash against the Infosys founder's take was "a misunderstanding". He explained that Narayana Murthy referred to teams that are building globally competitive tech companies, especially in the context of China's 996 rule.
"This is for a select group of innovators who want to build unicorns. Ordinary employees are not being asked to work 70 hours. Nobody is asking bank staff or office-goers to do this," Pai, who has served as the CFO for Infosys, said in an interview with ET Now.
He further mentioned that the world's leading tech ecosystems are driven by highly motivated teams who voluntarily work at an intense pace, adding that founders in China and Silicon Valley work extremely hard.
“Yes, smart systems matter. But you cannot ignore that China and Silicon Valley founders work extremely hard. If Indian startups want to compete, they must match that level of ambition," Pai noted.
Furthermore, he told The Economic Times that the traditional work-life balance "doesn't exist" for highly driven founders. “You are driven by the need to build something great. If you choose entrepreneurship, you slug it out. And there is fulfilment because you are ahead in the race."
Pai, however, noted that imposing the 996-style work schedules on employees is unethical and illegal.
What did Narayana Murthy exactly say?
In a recent interview, the veteran industrialist pitched a 72-hour workweek again, citing China's example. He validated his pitch by highlighting the '996 rule' followed by Chinese tech companies.
"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," the Infosys founder further said.