The 70-hour week: who said it, what the law says, and why it keeps coming back

India's most famous workplace argument, with the numbers that matter.

Checked 20 October 2026 against the official sources below.

In 2023, Infosys co-founder N. R. Narayana Murthy said young Indians should be willing to work 70 hours a week. In January 2025, L&T chairman S. N. Subrahmanyan went further with a remark about 90-hour weeks and working Sundays. Both went viral. Both were answered by millions of tired people.

What the law actually says

Under India's Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, in force since 21 November 2025, the normal limit is 8 hours a day and 48 hours a week, and overtime is paid at twice the ordinary rate of wages. Rules vary by state and type of establishment, and many managerial roles fall outside the strict limits. But the baseline is 48, not 70.

Why it keeps coming back

Because it costs the speaker nothing. Leaders praising hours they'll never personally work at your salary is common enough to have a name: Hustle Cosplay.

The question nobody on stage answers

Who's paying for the extra 22 hours?

This is general information about how workplaces and the rules usually work, not legal advice about your contract. For your own situation, read your appointment letter and policies, and talk to your state labour department, a union or an employment lawyer.

More guides

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• Australia's right to disconnect: what it says and what it doesn'tThe rule other countries are watching, in plain English.
• Always-on culture: the green dot, the 9pm ping and the 'flexibility' trapHow 'flexible hours' turned into 'available hours', and what people are doing about it.