Amid Piyush Goyal’s debate on Indian startups, Harsh Goenka supports 90-hour work week

Harsh Goenka, RPG Group chairman has come out in support of Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal’s recent remarks urging Indian startups to focus more on deep-tech innovation.

Referring to N R Narayana Murthy's 70-hour workweek, Goenka said that both Murthy and Goyal in their respective statement were offering 'directional' guidance.

Writing on X Goenka said, “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.”

The debate began with Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal asking the Indian startup community to shift their focus from grocery delivery and ice cream making to high tech sector like semiconductor, machine learning, robotics, and artificial intelligence.

Goenka said the idea behind Murthy's 70-hour workweek was to promote a shift in the national mindset and not glorify burnout. He also emphasied that with the unfolding of the global tarrif war India must build with ambition in order to compete with China and US.

In his post, he also highlighted crucial sectors such as robotics, artificial intelligence (AI), and energy to steer India's long-term growth and make a significant impact.

“If India wants to compete with the US or China, we can’t just focus on comfort, convenience, and brands. We need to build with ambition—AI, deep tech, robotics, clean energy—sectors that move the needle. This isn’t about glorifying burnout. It’s about shifting the national mindset—from ease to effort, from quick wins to long-term value,” he added.