In a recent video, popular YouTuber Dhruv Rathee called out two of India’s most outspoken business leaders, Ola CEO Bhavish Aggarwal and Infosys founder Narayana Murthy for glorifying excessive work hours.

What Happened: Rathee especially rebuked Murthy’s comment that India's work productivity is one of the lowest in the world and his suggestion that young Indians should commit to 70-hour work weeks, both of which have drawn sharp backlash.

Similarly, Rathee criticised Bhavish Aggarwal’s claims that he works 20 hours a day, seven days a week, dismissing work-life balance entirely as a Western import. Rathee also called out billionaire Sajjan Jindal for lending his support to such statements.

Rathee tore into these remarks, pointing out that such rhetoric encourages unhealthy practices and ignores the real issues faced by employees, like mental and physical burnout. He claimed Aggrawal’s statements were untrue and challenged the businessmen to experience the gruelling conditions of their lowest-level workers for themselves for even a month.

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Rathee also argued that hiring more employees instead of pushing for longer hours could improve both productivity and well-being.

Recent statements about longer work hours and work weeks have sparked widespread criticism for promoting a toxic work culture in the country after the tragic death of 26-year-old Anna Sebastian, a Chartered Accountant who worked for Ernst & Young (EY) in Pune.

Rathee took a deep dive into a letter penned by her mother, who said Anna faced immense pressure at work, leading to severe emotional and physical strain. Despite working long hours and struggling with stress, Anna passed away from cardiac arrest just four months into her job, according to the letter.

Her death has ignited conversations about the toll of toxic work environments, with critics pointing to leaders like Murthy and Aggarwal for perpetuating harmful ideas about overwork.

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