Indian Entrepreneur's 80-Hour Workweek Claim Reignites Productivity Debate: 'If You're Not...'

Reigniting the raging debate about productivity and the number of hours one needs to put in at work, an Indian entrepreneur based in San Francisco has claimed that working over 14 hours a day was the bare minimum. Neha Suresh- an Indian entrepreneur living in San Francisco- shared a video of her working at her desk in her room and her mantra of making it big, which did not go down well with the internet.

The entrepreneur stated that if employees or founders were stuck with the regular 9-5 schedule, they were not going to develop a 'world-changing product'.

"If you're not spending 14+ hours a day working on your dream you're ngmi. You can't build a world-changing product on 9 to 5 energy. 80-hour weeks aren't extreme. It's baseline," Ms Suresh wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

See the viral post here:

If you're not spending 14+ hours a day working on your dream you're ngmi.

You can't build a world-changing product on 9–5 energy.

80-hour weeks aren't extreme. It's baseline. pic.twitter.com/6lTxrqUxJZ

— Neha (@Neha_Suresh_M) July 31, 2025

Also Read | Redditor Flies To Vietnam From India, Buys MacBook, Enjoys Vacation, Saves Rs 36,500

'Chill out'

As the post went viral, garnering hundreds of likes and comments, social media users pointed out that the hustle of working long hours every day was 'unsustainable' and that she needed to unwind sometime.

"Chill out bro, take a walk, have some soup, cuddle," said one user while another added: "I burned out chasing 80-hour weeks. Found I actually build better products when I'm rested and thinking clearly."

A third commented: "And extremely unsustainable. Please get some sun, exercise and sleep as well :) You will be surprised how productive that makes you."

A fourth said: "My 14 hours are spent on commute and internship. I definitely am not gonna make it then."

In India, Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy has long advocated for a 70-hour workweek. Mr Murthy claims to have followed an intense schedule of 14-hour days, six and a half days a week, throughout his career, where he would arrive at the office by 6:30 am and leave at around 8:40 pm.

The former tech boss had earlier said India's young workforce has to embrace hard work if they want the country to realise its full potential on the global stage.