Zoho Corporation CEO Sridhar Venbu has reignited the storm over the 70-hour work week, a debate first sparked by Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy. In a detailed post about X, Vembu not only responded to the controversial idea, but also 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. He drew parallels with East Asia, pointing to economic growth in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and China achieved through what he called “punitive levels of labor.” But these countries are currently facing a demographic crisis, he argued, because birth rates are so low that governments are “begging people to have babies”.
Vembu posed two thought-provoking questions: Is such a development worth the cost of a lonely old age for large numbers of people?” His answer differed from Marcy’s position.
In response to the first question, Vembu suggested that extreme hard work is not a must for everyone. “It’s enough for only a small portion of the population, maybe 2 to 5 percent, to work hard. The rest of us can maintain a decent work-life balance,” he said, adding that he is in the hard-working camp. However, he added that he would not impose it on others.
As for the second question, Vembu answered unequivocally. “No, it’s not worth it,” he said, rejecting the idea of replicating China’s economic model at the expense of population decline. He warned against India following the same path, noting that “India’s fertility has already reached replacement levels and further decline to East Asian levels is not good.”
Vembu concluded with a vision for balanced growth. “I believe we can develop without having to strive for population suicide.”
