What Shashi Tharoor has to say on Bill Gates’, Narayana Murthy’s working hours comments

Microsoft’s former CEO Bill Gates recently said that AI technology may soon make it possible for people to work for only three days a week. This was in stark contrast to Infosys co-founder NR Narayana Murthy’s 70-hour-a-week work culture. Now, MP from Thiruvananthapuram Shashi Tharoor has reacted on both.

In a post on X, he said that if both Gates and Murthy work out a compromise, people will be working for five days a week.

“Bill Gates says a three-day work-week ought to be possible. In other words, if Mr Gates and Mr Narayana Murthy sit down together and work out a compromise, we will end up exactly where we are, with a five-day work week!” he said in a post on X.


What Bill Gates said
In a podcast with comedian Trevor Noah, Gates said that if AI is used judiciously, it could provide people working 5-plus days a week some more leisure time. He said that with AI, there could one day be a time when humans “don't have to work so hard.”

“If you eventually get a society where you only have to work three days a week, that's probably OK,” Gates said, adding that there could be a world where “machines can make all the food and the stuff,” and people don't have to work a five day-plus work week to earn a living wage.

Days before Gates’ comments, there was an uproar over Murthy’s 70 hours of work a week comment. The Infosys co-founder said that Indian youngsters “need to work for at least 70 hours a week” to boost productivity and “compete with the fastest-growing countries like China and Japan”.