L&T chairman SN Subrahmanyan's paycheck rises 50% in FY25 - here's why

Larsen & Toubro (L&T) Chairman S N Subrahmanyan, who made headlines earlier this year for backing a 90-hour work week, received a 50% jump in his remuneration in FY25, taking home Rs 76.25 crore compared to Rs 51.05 crore in FY24, news agency PTI reported, citing the company's annual report.

The sharp increase was largely driven by stock options exercised during the year. "The value of employee stock options (ESOP) exercised by the chairman during the last financial year stood at Rs 15.88 crore," the report stated. In FY24, Subrahmanyan had not exercised any stock options.

For comparison, the remuneration of L&T's Whole-time Director and CFO R Shankar Raman stood at Rs 37.33 crore, while Deputy Managing Director & President Subramanian Sarma earned Rs 44.55 crore in FY25.

Subrahmanyan had stirred online backlash a few months ago after remarks made during an internal employee interaction. Referring to weekend work, he had said, "I regret that I am not able to make employees work on Sundays," adding that such effort would lead to "extraordinary outcomes." 

His comments, including the pointed question "what do employees do at home," triggered widespread criticism.

In response, L&T issued a clarification stating that "his comments were intended to highlight the importance of 'extraordinary effort' for achieving remarkable results," and were not meant to pressure staff into working longer hours.

Critics drew parallels between Subrahmanyan's statements and remarks made by Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy, who had suggested that young Indians should work 70 hours a week to contribute to the nation's growth. Murthy too faced backlash, with many arguing that such work expectations were unrealistic and harmful.