The ongoing debate about long work hours has been sparked by comments from industrial leaders like Anand Mahindra and Adar Poonawalla, who emphasize the importance of quality work over the sheer quantity of hours spent working. The debate began after Larsen & Toubro Chairman SN Subrahmanyan suggested a 90-hour work week, even mentioning the possibility of working on Sundays. His remark about “how long can you stare at your wife” went viral, bringing to mind similar comments by Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy, who advocated for a 70-hour work week.
Anand Mahindra, speaking at the Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue 2025 in Delhi, expressed concern that the focus of the debate was moving in the wrong direction. He argued that it’s not about the number of hours worked but the quality of the work produced. “One can change the world in 10 hours,” Mahindra said, stressing that the emphasis should be on output, not hours. He humorously added, “My wife is wonderful. I love staring at her.”
Supporting Mahindra’s stance, Serum Institute CEO Adar Poonawalla also shared his thoughts on Twitter, echoing Mahindra’s sentiment that quality of work always trumps quantity. Poonawalla humorously remarked about his own wife loving to spend time with him on Sundays, reinforcing the value of quality moments over long hours.
Billionaire Gautam Adani had also weighed in on the work-life balance discussion last month, stating that the concept should be a personal choice, with no one-size-fits-all solution. He jokingly mentioned that spending eight hours with family might lead to marital issues, highlighting that each individual defines their own work-life balance.
