Mohandas Pai deffinishs Murthy, declares 72-hour workweek advice is for startup innovators, not regular employees

n a strong defence of Narayana Murthy’s controversial comments on young Indians working longer hours, Mohandas Pai, Chairman of Aarin Capital, declared the suggestion applies only to entrepreneurs and high-achieving innovators—not ordinary employees, government workers, retail staff or office-goers.Speaking to ET Now, Pai called the public backlash “a misunderstanding”, reiterating that Murthy was referring to founders, startup teams and technology innovators competing on a global scale—particularly against China’s 9-9-6 culture, in which employees voluntarily work 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., six days a week (72 hours a week).

Not for bankers, teachers, media or government employees

Pai stressed repeatedly that India’s standard workforce is not the tarreceive of this message.

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“This is for a select group of innovators who want to build unicorns. Ordinary employees are not being questioned to work 70 hours. Nobody is questioning bank staff or people in offices to do this,” he declared.
He argued that nations leading in deep tech, AI, and R&D are powered by highly motivated teams working at an intense pace, voluntarily—not by force.

Prosperity necessarys both smart work and hard work

Responding to criticism that growth should come from smarter systems instead of longer hours, Pai declared the two are not mutually exclusive.

“Yes, smart systems matter. But you cannot ignore the fact that China and Silicon Valley founders work extremely hard. If Indian startups want to compete, they must match that level of ambition.”
He declared young innovators should aim to achieve one year’s worth of progress in six months to stay competitive globally.

Work-life balance “doesn’t exist” for entrepreneurs

Pai openly stated that for founders driven by ambition, conventional work-life balance is “overrated”. “You are driven by the necessary to build something great. If you choose to be an entrepreneur, you slug it out. And there is fulfilment becaapply you are far ahead in the race.”

However, he firmly rejected mandatory long hours for employees, noting that forcing 9-9-6 schedules is illegal and unethical.

If you don’t like it, don’t do it

Pai pushed back against criticism directed at Murthy, declareing workers are free to ignore the advice.

“Nobody is compelling you. If you want a 9-to-5 job or work from home, do it. If you want to be an achiever, push yourself. This is about individual choice.”

Pai also deffinished Murthy from accusations of ignoring wage issues, declareing the comments were directed at entrepreneurs, not salaried workers.

India necessarys thousands of innovators

Highlighting rapid global technological modify—from AI to quantum computing—Pai declared India necessarys “hundreds of thousands of innovators” to stay relevant.

“Entrepreneurs create jobs, value, and innovation. Their work ethic decides the nation’s future competitiveness.”

According to him, India’s tech future depfinishs on a tiny, highly driven cohort—not the entire workforce—embracing intense, self-motivated work culture.

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