We Will End Up With 5-Day Work Week: Shashi Tharoor

NEW DELHI, (IANS) – Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has weighed in on remarks made by Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and Infosys founder Narayana Murthy on work weeks, saying if both work out a compromise, “We will end up with a five-day work week.”

Murthy recently suggested that India’s youth must work for 70 hours every week to boost the country’s productivity, while Gates stated that the purpose of life is not simply to do jobs and that a three-day workweek is possible because of artificial intelligence.

Taking on these different approaches, Tharoor posted on social media, “BillGates says a three-day workweek ought to be possible. In other words, if Gates and Narayana Murthy sit down together and work out a compromise, we will end up exactly where we are, with a five-day work week”.

The post went viral, with over 2.5 lakh views since it was shared online. Social media users were amused and shared their views in the section.

“it’s for each one of us to decide how much to work to live and grow as much as we want. They aren’t gods … they can have their opinion like we all have,” a user wrote.

“Hahaha, and if @elonmusk joins them, the average might go up to 10 days in a week,” another user said.

One more user mentioned, “Of course, there are some other things in society…need a change not working days …such great personalities should work on some other positivity”.

Meanwhile, Murthy’s remark sparked outrage on social media. While some people agreed with Murthy, the majority were skeptical and worried about the health implications of such a demanding work schedule.