Rupifi CEO supports Narayana Murthy’s call for longer work hours: ‘India needs 9-9-6 today’
Backing Narayana Murthy’s recent call for young Indians to embrace longer working hours, Rupifi co-founder and CEO Anubhav Jain said India “needs more 9-9-6s today” if it wants to accelerate economic growth.
In a post on LinkedIn on Tuesday, Jain said extended work weeks should be seen as a commitment to nation-building rather than glorifying the hustle culture. He argued that India needs people who are willing to “work harder, push boundaries and contribute meaningfully” to the country’s progress.
Jain co-founded Bengaluru-based B2B digital financing platform Rupifi in 2018, along with Jawaid Iqbal and Ankit Singh. Addressing the debate around work culture, he said the focus should be on productivity and intent, not optics. Hindustan Times.
Murthy recently reignited the national debate about work-life balance when he said: Republic TV He said India’s youth must prioritize hard work over comfort, and China’s rapid rise has been fueled by the 9-9-6 routine of 9am to 9pm, six days a week.
The model, popular among Chinese tech companies, has also been criticized for its impact on employee health and was declared illegal by China’s Supreme Court in 2021. Even so, Murthy said India needs to adopt a similarly tough mindset to remain globally competitive.
Echoing this sentiment, Jain wrote that longer working hours played a significant role in China’s economic rise and that India needed a similar change in attitude. He added that the responsibility for national development lies with everyone, not just the founders, and professionals across sectors must be ready to invest more time and effort to help India progress.
What is the 9-9-6 system?
Long criticized in China, the 9-9-6 system has been widely condemned by labor groups and rights advocates for its harsh and often unsafe working conditions. Despite this, Narayana Murthy cited it as a model that India’s workforce should consider.
China’s Supreme People’s Court ruled that 12-hour workdays are illegal in 2021, following growing concerns about worker deaths and stress-related suicides linked to excessive work schedules, according to an NPR report.
Labor organizations and researchers have described 9-9-6 as a form of “modern slavery,” arguing that many companies impose harsh, unsustainable working hours on employees.
Chinese labor law mandates an eight-hour workday for six days, limited to 44 hours per week. Overtime is limited to 36 hours per month and must be compensated. With the 2021 decision strengthening these protections, workers scored a significant legal victory, even as some companies continue to unofficially push the 9-9-6 model.
