Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy sparked a nationwide debate when he suggested that young Indians should work 70 hours a week to boost the country’s productivity. His remark, made during a podcast, quickly went viral, drawing both support and criticism.
Murthy’s point? He believes that if India wants to compete with global economies like China and the U.S., young professionals need to put in extra hours. He argued that hard work and dedication are key to economic growth.
But not everyone agreed. Critics slammed the idea, saying long working hours could lead to burnout, stress, and an unhealthy work-life balance. Many pointed out that India already has a toxic hustle culture, where employees are overworked but underpaid. Others argued that productivity isn’t just about working longer—it’s about working smarter. At the same time, some industry leaders backed Murthy, saying his advice was about commitment and ambition, not exploitation. They felt young professionals should be willing to go the extra mile if they want to succeed.
While the debate around Murthy’s 70 hours/ week comment continues, a neurosurgeon has come up with a fresh perspective. Dr. Sid Warrier, MD, DM Neurologist has shared a unique take on Murthy’s comments.
The brain doesn’t know what is work and what is rest
“The brain doesn’t know what is work and what is rest,” he says on a podcast with actor R Madhavan.
Coming straight to Narayana Murthy’s remark on working hours, Dr Warrier has said, “there is a key difference between him working for that many hours and his employees working for those many hours. For him it is his baby.”
He said if one does a work that one identifies with, the brain wont feel sympathetic, the brain will still be calm. “But if I am doing the same work for someone else and I feel that my work is being taken away, that becomes stress,” he explains.
Sharing the video clip on his personal Instagram account, Dr Warrier has posted, “To the brain, there is no work and not work. There is only optimal stress (aka flow state – where adequate motivation is balanced with adequate rest) And non-optimal stress – where you are either bored or overstimulated and anxious.”
Netizens were quick to share their response.
“Absolutely on point like I work for 18 hrs a day 9 hrs for my company and the rest for my personal brand,” writes one user.
“Work doesn’t feel like work when you either enjoy what you do, are incredibly passionate about what you do or you love what you do. Tried and tested,” writes another.
“Yet this is not entirely true, even if you like doing something there would come a day where because of overwork you would feel burnout, because of not having enough time off because of having only one thing going, a life out of work is always needed to bring new motivation when there are times that there are none,” a third user has pointed out.
