This Indian crorepati says it’s ‘bats**t crazy’ for employees to work 70 hours a week

Viraj Bahl, founder of Veeba, opposes the 70-hour work week for employees that is advocated by some founders

Veeba founder Viraj Bahl has chosen a side in the working hours debate - and it’s diametrically opposite to the opinion held by most founders and CEOs. During a recent podcast appearance, Bahl minced no words in condemning companies that expect employees to put in 70 hours a week.

Viraj Bhal is the founder of sauce brand Veeba(YouTube/@TheRockfordCircle)

Bahl, Founder and Managing Director of Veeba, explained the reasoning behind his stance to The Rockford Circle host Chitrangada Singh.

“It’s bats**t crazy”

“What do you think about the 70-hour work week?” Chitrangada Singh asked Bahl, who launched sauce and condiments company Veeba in 2013.

“I think the 70-hour work week is a bats**t crazy idea,” Bahl replied.

“You know, it is okay for a founder to work 70 hours because he is the biggest commercial gainer out of a 70 hour work week,” he added.

“To expect your team to work 70 hours is crazy. Either compensate them in the same way you are getting compensated for working 70 hours, proportionately, or do not expect them to work 70 hours,” Bahl declared.

“We have reduced working hours”

Bahl also said that his company had recently reduced working hours for employees. Today, employees work 40 hours a week or eight hours a day.

“In our organisation, we have reduced the working hours recently,” he told Chitrangada Singh. “We are doing 40 hour weeks now. And to expect someone to work 70 hours without having any equity upside is crazy.

“I think it’s an obsolete idea. Seventy hour weeks should not happen,” said Bahl.

Viraj Bahl is a rare founder who has spoken in favour of not implementing longer hours for employees. Infosys founder Narayana Murthy had started this debate in 2023 when he said that employees must work 70 hours a week for nation building.

“India's work productivity is one of the lowest in the world. Unless we improve our work productivity, unless we reduce corruption in the government at some level, because we have been reading I don't know the truth of it, unless we reduce the delays in our bureaucracy in taking this decision, we will not be able to compete with those countries that have made tremendous progress,” he said.

Founders like Ola’s Bhavish Aggarwal had agreed with his take. More recently, Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, had ranted against 40-hour work weeks.