Nov 1 (Lagos) - Mr. Narayana Murthy recently caused a controversy in India when he asked the nation's youth to be ready to work 70 hours a week in order to support development of the Country. Speaking on a podcast he said that India's productivity is one of the lowest in the world and
"So, therefore, my request is that our youngsters must say, 'This is my country. I'd like to work 70 hours a week',"
Mr. Muthy is the founder of software giant INFOSYS, a company which recorded annual revenue of USD 18.5 billion last year. That is almost N 20 trillion in terms of Naira. He is known for his humility and down to earth attitude. He is famous for living in in the same house that he owned before he founded Infosys and driving a Toyota Camry while his personal wealth is more than 4 billion US Dollars. He is often seen standing in queue to check-in to a hotel or a flight, a sight that causes shock among people who have not already witnessed this before.
He expects same values from the aspirational youth of India that dream about fast cars, flashy lifestyle and living for today. The youth also want to work-from-home and they also do not want to work weekends. So when he asked the youth to be ready to work 70 hour weekly it caused an uproar because the youth are looking for work-life balance, a concept that may be alien to Mr. Muthy.
His wife, Mrs. Sudha Murty who famously lent him $ 250 to start Infosys in 1981 backed him and said “He has worked 80 to 90 hours a week, so, he doesn’t know what less than that is. He believes in real hard work and he lived like that. Hence, he has told what he felt."
Mr. Murthy is also father in law of UK Prime Minister Mr. Rishi Sunak.
So what do you think from Nigeria's perspective? Do you think we agree with him that we need to start working 70 hours a week so help develop Nigeria? Or should be pack up on Friday 4Pm and head to the beach? And also look for 4-day weeks due to Covid-19?
reporing for easykobo.com on Tuesday, November 1 2023 from Lagos, Nigeria