CEO slammed for recommending 18-hour work days, decrying 'rona dhona' in LinkedIn post

At a time when the hustle culture is facing widespread criticism, Bombay Shaving Company Founder Shantanu Deshpande infuriated many people with a LinkedIn post that recommended 18-hour work days, especially in the early stages of one's career.

In what was possibly expected to be a motivational post, Deshpande asked youngsters to "worship" their work. His suggestion to put in 18-hour days for at least four to five years and avoid "random rona-dhona" (cribbing and crying) did not sit well with readers.

Credit: LinkedIn/@Shantanu Deshpande

A number of LinkedIn users gave Deshpande a piece of their minds on his post's comment section. One user Vaibhav Singh wrote, "Is working 18 hours a day in your youth the reason you don’t have any hair left on your head?" Others asked if his post was a publicity stunt. Another user said, "So you are basically saying you want to exploit newcomers for your personal gains by taking away their work-life balance and making them your slaves in the name of career? I am glad I do not work under a leader with such a mindset."

Acknowledging the responses, Deshpande later said, "Yikes. So much hate for 18-hour days. It's a proxy for 'giving your all and then some'."

While several commenters questioned Bombay Shaving Company's work culture, Deshpande defended the company and said that those who doubted it should "feel free to come any time or talk to any of our people".