'Only PM Modi works 100 hours a week': Narayana Murthy's quip to Tejasvi Surya

BJP's Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya on Tuesday shared insights from a long in-flight conversation with Infosys co-founder NR Narayana Murthy. He called the interaction "a 2-hour masterclass" on everything from artificial intelligence and manufacturing to leadership and ethics.

Posting on X, Surya wrote: "Had an inspiring conversation with the legendary NRN today on the way back to Bengaluru from Mumbai. NRN pioneered the Indian IT services sector, turning it into a global powerhouse. He created wealth for literally lakhs of middle-class families through Infosys."

Surya added, "From AI to manufacturing, state of our cities to upskilling our youth to ethics and leadership—it was a 2-hour masterclass learning from him."

In a lighter moment, Surya said he joked about striving to meet Murthy's famously high work-hour benchmark. "I humorously quipped at the end of our conversation that I'll strive to meet his 70-hour-a-week target—to which he laughed and said, 'The only person I know who probably works 100 hours a week is Prime Minister Modi!’"

Murthy's reference was a nod to his now widely-debated statement from last year, when he urged young Indians to work "at least 70 hours" a week to raise national productivity. At the time, he drew sharp reactions across the country, with supporters hailing his work ethic and critics warning of burnout, stress, and unrealistic expectations.

However, Infosys — the company Murthy co-founded — has since taken a different approach. According to a report by The Economic Times, the IT firm has implemented a policy that caps work hours at 9.15 hours per day. Employees working beyond this limit across a month now receive alerts from the HR team, including personalised reports and tips to take breaks, delegate tasks, and "disconnect after hours to recharge."

At various public events last year, Murthy maintained that India must "sacrifice" for progress and that there is "no such thing as work-life balance" if the country hopes to match global standards. He had also opposed India's transition to a five-day work week in 1986 and told a leadership summit that long hours were a necessity for young professionals—not an optional discipline.