Zoho Corporation CEO Sridhar Vembu has reignited the storm over the 70-hour work week, a debate first sparked by Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy. In a detailed note on X, Vembu didn't just respond to the controversial idea—he raised fundamental questions about its necessity and consequences.
“The rationale behind the 70-hour work week is that it is 'necessary for economic development,'” Vembu wrote. Drawing parallels from East Asia, he pointed to economic growth in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and China, achieved through what he called “punishment levels”. But these nations, he argued, are now facing demographic crises with very low birth rates.
Vembu raised two thoughtful questions: “Does economic development require so much hard work? Is such a development worth the price of lonely old age for the masses? His answers differed from Murthy's position.
Addressing the first question, Vembu suggested that hard work is not essential for everyone. “It's enough if only a small percentage of the population runs hard – maybe 2-5%. The rest can maintain a good work-life balance,” he said, adding that he belongs to the hard-working camp but doesn't impose it on others.
On the second question, Vembu was unequivocal. “No, it's not worth it,” he said, rejecting the idea of copying China's economic model at the expense of demographic decline. He cautioned against India following the same path, saying, “India is already at replacement level fertility, and further decline to East Asian levels will not do well.”
Vembu concluded with a vision for balanced growth: “I believe we can thrive without having to work ourselves into demographic suicide.”