L&T Chairman SN Subrahmanyan On 90-Hour Workweek Remarks: ‘My Wife Also Felt Bad’

Larsen & Toubro Chairman and Managing Director S N Subrahmanyan has finally opened up about his 90-hour workweek remark that went viral and raked up a controversy earlier this year.

Subrahmanyan said his comments were made casually in response to serious project delays flagged by high-profile clients.

In an interview to a business news website, Subrahmanyan said, “There were serious issues on my mind. Five or six clients, including some very high-profile ones, personally spoke to me, called me, and sent emails about our progress. I was worried … Despite my involvement, projects were not moving. It was not good to be called out at that level ...”

Acknowledging the backlash, Subrahmanyan added his controversial remarks were not supposed to be recorded. Expressing regret, he said he could’ve taken a different tone. He added his wife was also upset over being mentioned.

“In hindsight, I could have answered differently. My wife also felt bad that her name got involved,” the top executive said.

Subrahmanyan admitted the controversy weighed heavily on him. He said “performance is our oxygen” and acknowledged that he might respond differently if asked a similar question again.

“But what happened, happened. I cannot withdraw it now. If a similar question comes in a similar mood, maybe I’ll answer differently. There was a bad background then ... performance was poor. And performance is our oxygen,” he said.

The L&T Chairman had sparked controversy earlier this year by urging employees to work 90-hour weeks. In a viral video, he was seen joking about work life balance and said he would be happier if he could make staff work Sundays too.

"What do you do sitting at home? How long can you stare at your wife? How long can wives stare at their husbands? Go to the office and start working. Honestly, I am sorry that I am not able to make you work on Sundays. I will be happier if I can make you work on Sundays, because I work on Sundays too," he had said, triggering a wave of backlash.

The public, including actress Deepika Padukone, had expressed concerns over the work culture in companies. L&T later defended the chairman, stating his comments reflected the spirit of “nation-building”.