Anand Mahindra Responds to L&T Chairman’s Controversial 90-Hour Workweek Comment

S N Subrahmanyan, Chairman of Larsen & Toubro (L&T), recently made headlines when he said he regretted not being able to make his employees work up to 90 hours a week. His comments sparked a major backlash on social media and from prominent figures. One such reaction came from industrialist Anand Mahindra, who addressed the ongoing debate on work-life balance during an event in New Delhi.

Speaking at the Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue 2025, Mahindra emphasized the importance of the quality of work over the quantity of work. He expressed his concern that the current debate was going in the “wrong direction” and highlighted that the focus should be on producing results, not just on how many hours are worked.

Mahindra shared his respect for Narayana Murthy and others but disagreed with the idea of working long hours. “It’s not about 48, 40 hours, it’s not about 70 hours, it’s not about 90 hours,” he said. “What output are you doing even if it’s 10 hours? You can change the world in 10 hours,” he added, stressing that work quality matters more than work quantity.

Why I'm on X pic.twitter.com/B7FILwpyc8

— Pankaj Parekh (@DhanValue) January 11, 2025

In addition to his thoughts on work, Mahindra, an active social media user, was also asked how much time he spends on platform X. He responded by saying, “I’m on X not because I’m lonely. My wife is wonderful, and I spend more time with her. I’m not here to make friends, but because it’s an amazing business tool.”

Subrahmanyan's controversial comment about employees working 90 hours a week and skipping Sundays also caught attention from actress Deepika Padukone. As a mental health advocate, she took to Instagram to share her shock, saying, “Shocking to see people in such senior positions make such statements. #mentalhealthmatters.”

This ongoing debate highlights the tension between work culture, employee well-being, and the pressure to perform.