
Want to beat China or US? Start with 90-hour work weeks: Harsh Goenka backs Narayana Murthy work week debate
RPG Group Chairman Harsh Goenka has stepped into the ongoing conversation around India’s startup culture and work ethic, aligning himself with two high-profile voices—Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and Infosys founder N.R. Narayana Murthy.
Goenka’s remarks, made via social media on 5 April, came in the wake of criticism directed at Goyal for questioning the direction of India’s startup ecosystem. The minister recently stirred a storm with his comments at the Startup Mahakumbh 2025.
“When Murthy and Subrahmanyan spoke of 70-90 hour work weeks, and Piyush Goyal questioned startups making vegan ice creams and chasing 10-minute deliveries, they weren’t being literal—they were being directional. They were asking: what are we really building?” Goenka posted on X.
Goyal questions India’s startup aspirations
At the Startup Mahakumbh event on 3 April, Union Minister Piyush Goyal openly criticised the priorities of some of India’s new-age entrepreneurs, particularly those from wealthy backgrounds. His comments ignited debate across the business community and among startup founders.
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“Fancy ice cream and cookies. I know at least three or four billionaires whose children make one brand or the other, very fancy ice cream and cookies, and run a very successful business,” Goyal said during his address.
He added, “And I have no complaint against that. But is that the destiny of India? Is the future of India satisfied with that?”
Goyal questioned whether simply launching lifestyle brands and wrapping them in attractive packaging under the startup label was truly serving the nation’s long-term interests.
The wider conversation around ambition and national direction also includes Murthy’s earlier call for a 70-hour