He further questioned, “What do you do sitting at home? How long can you stare at your wife? How long can the wives stare at husbands? Get to the office and start working.” To support his stance, Subrahmanyan shared an anecdote about a conversation with a Chinese individual who claimed that China’s potential to surpass the United States is due to Chinese workers putting in 90 hours a week, compared to the 50 hours worked by Americans. He concluded, “…If you have to go on top of the world, you have to work 90 hours a week.”
These comments have drawn significant backlash on social media, with many criticizing the disregard for work-life balance. In response, an L&T spokesperson stated, “At L&T, nation-building is at the core of our mandate… We believe this is India’s decade, a time demanding collective dedication and effort to drive progress and realize our shared vision of becoming a developed nation. The Chairman’s remarks reflect this larger ambition, emphasizing that extraordinary outcomes require extraordinary effort.”
This incident follows a similar controversy involving Infosys founder Narayana Murthy, who previously advocated for a 70-hour workweek.