Zoho Corporation CEO Sridhar Vembu has reignited the debate over the 70-hour workweek, a topic initially raised by Infosys Co-founder Narayana Murthy.
In a post on social media platform X on Friday, December 27, Vembu questioned the necessity and consequences of such extreme work hours.
Drawing comparisons with East Asian countries like Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and China, Vembu acknowledged their economic growth through, "punitive levels of work" but pointed out their current demographic crisis, with low birth rates and declining populations.
He wrote, "The rationale behind the 70 hour work week is "it is necessary for economic development". If you look at East Asia - Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and China have all developed through extreme hard work, often imposing punitive levels of work on their own people. These very countries also have such low birth rates now that their governments have to beg people to make babies..."
Vembu further raised two critical questions: Whether extreme hard work is essential for economic development, and if such development is worth the personal cost, particularly the risk of loneliness in old age.
He argued that extreme work is not necessary for everyone, suggesting that only a small percentage need to work intensely while others can maintain a healthy work-life balance. Vembu expressed his personal commitment to hard work but emphasised that he wouldn't impose it on others.
He further expressed opposition over India replicating China's success at the cost of an irretrievable demographic decline, gradually leading to dropping fertility rates, and a "demographic suicide."
"I don't want India to replicate China's economic success if the price is China's steep demographic decline (which has already started). India is already at replacement level fertility (southern states well below that already) and further declines to East Asian levels won't be good. I do believe we can develop without needing to work ourselves to demographic suicide," he wrote on X.
