Zoho CEO Sridhar Vembu has reignited the debate on the 70-hour workweek, initially sparked by Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy. In a detailed post on X, Vembu discussed the reasoning behind such long work hours, suggesting that they are deemed necessary for economic development.
Drawing examples from East Asia, he pointed out that countries like Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and China achieved rapid development through intense work, often placing immense pressure on their populations. However, these nations are now facing dramatically low birth rates, with governments urging citizens to have more children.
Vembu posed two critical questions: “Is such hard work necessary for economic growth? And is this kind of development worth the cost of a lonely old age for many people?”
Responding to the first question, Vembu stated, “It’s sufficient if only a small percentage of the population works intensely. I belong to that group but don’t think it’s right to push this model onto others.”
He believes that only 2-5% of the population needs to work at such a pace, which would be enough for broad-based economic progress, allowing the majority of people to enjoy a balanced work-life experience.
Regarding the second question, Vembu emphatically replied, “No, it’s not worth it.” He expressed that he doesn’t want India to follow China’s economic path if it comes at the expense of a demographic decline, which he believes is already happening in China.