By: Trends DeskNew Delhi | November 20, 2025 11:25 AM IST 3 min readMohandas Pai emphasised that ordinary employees are not being asked to adopt the intense work schedule (PTI)Infosys founder N R Narayana Murthy’s recent comment that young Indians should commit to working longer hours, promoting the 9-9-6 Chinese work rule, ignited a debate, which former Infosys CFO Mohandas Pai attributes to a “misunderstanding”.The 9-9-6 rule describes a schedule in which employees are expected to work 9 am to 9 pm, six days a week. Employees following this rule effectively work 72 hours a week.According to Pai, who is also the chairman of Aarin Capital, Murthy’s remarks were not aimed at the general workforce but rather at a “select group of innovators,” including entrepreneurs, startup founders, and high-performing innovators focused on creating globally competitive tech companies and building “unicorns”.In an interview with ET Now, Pai emphasised that ordinary employees are not being asked to adopt the intense work schedule. “Ordinary employees are not being asked to work 70 hours. Nobody is asking bank staff or office-goers to do this,” he said.Pai clarified that the context for Murthy’s advice is the aggressive work pace seen in global tech ecosystems, particularly mentioning China’s 9-9-6 rule. He noted that leading tech hubs such as China and Silicon Valley are driven by highly motivated teams and founders who “work extremely hard.”“Yes, smart systems matter. But you cannot ignore that the China and Silicon Valley founders work extremely hard. If Indian startups want to compete, they must match that level of ambition,” Pai told The Economic Times.Pai explained that for highly driven founders, the “traditional work-life balance doesn’t exist” because their pace is fuelled by a desire to build something significant. “You are driven by the need to build something great. If you choose entrepreneurship, you slug it out. And there is fulfilment because you are ahead in the race,” he said.Story continues below this adMurthy previously justified his call for a 72-hour workweek by citing some Chinese tech companies. Murthy explained that Catamaran’s senior and middle-level staff observed this firsthand during a trip to China.Also Read | Ankur Warikoo reveals his driver’s salary, says he receives 11% yearly hike: ‘He knows our ATM pin’“Last year, Catamaran senior and middle-level staff went to China, and they went to tier 1 cities, tier 2 cities and tier 3 cities. They stayed in tier 3 kind of hotels because we wanted to understand the real China. And you know there is a saying there, 9,9, 6. You know what it means? 9.00 AM to 9.00 PM, 6 days a week. And that is 72 hours a week,” the Infosys founder said.However, Pai drew a distinction, asserting that while competitive founders may choose this intense pace, imposing the 9-9-6-style work schedules on employees is unethical and illegal.© IE Online Media Services Pvt LtdTags:Narayana Murthysocial media virals