'9-9-6 is not slogging': Why Rupifi CEO defended Narayana Murthy's 72-hour workweek idea; netizens react

After Infosys founder Narayana Murthy recently said again that young Indians needed to embrace longer working hours, sparking backlash online, fintech brand Rupifi's CEO Anubhav Jain on Thursday came out in support of the 79-year-old.

"9-9-6 is not to be confused with slogging," Jain wrote in a LinkedIn post, referring to the Chinese working policy that Murthy had cited, when pushing for a 72-hour workweek—working from 9 AM to 9 PM for six days a week.

"One can pursue one's goals without impacting one's health and hard work (9-9-6 is just a substitution for hard work) will never interfere with one's physical or mental health," he added.

The long LinkedIn post also details his time at American Express and EXL, where he claimed to go "a step beyond" his regular duties, saying that when everyone starts to be "hard working, committed, curious, exploratory, and inquisitive", it would "help the nation".

Former Infosys CFO Mohandas Pai, however, told ET Now that the backlash against Murthy was because of a "misunderstanding", and that the remarks were not meant for the general workforce, but a "select group of innovators".

What Narayana Murthy actually said

"There is a saying in China, 9-9-6. You know what it means? 9 AM to 9 PM, 6 days a week. And that is a 72-hour workweek,” the Infosys founder was quoted as saying in a recent TV interview.

ALSO READ | What is China's 'illegal' 9-9-6 work rule that Infosys founder Narayana Murthy wants Indians to follow?

He claimed that the longer hours helped in China's rapid economic growth.

However, in 2021, Chinese authorities had decried that such punishing work hours were illegal. 

"Legally, workers have the right to corresponding compensation and rest times or holidays. Complying with national working hours is the obligation of employers," a notice from Chinese authorities warned.

Netizens react

"Asking the youth of India to work 9-9-6 is asking them to die young in the name of nation building," a LinkedIn user wrote, in response to Jain's post.

"Same as china Give me affordable housing, all metro/rail connection, free education, free health," a Redditor quipped.

"There’s a big difference between forced slogging and self-driven hard work. When the hunger to learn comes from within, long hours don’t feel like a burden, they feel like investment," another LinkedIn user pointed out.