Shaadi.com founder and Shark Tank India judge Anupam Mittal has weighed in on the controversy surrounding a statement made by Larsen & Toubro (L&T) chairman SN Subrahmanyan. The comment, which suggested employees would have to work 90 hours a week, including Sundays, to remain competitive has sparked a major backlash online.

In an undated viral video, Subrahmanyan questioned the need for employees to stay at home, saying, “What are you doing sitting at home? How long can you look at your wife? How long can wives look at their husbands? It comes to the office and get to work.”

In response to the comment, Anupam Mittal offered a sassy response to X, saying, “But sir, if husband and wife don’t see each other, how will we remain the most populous country in the world?”

The millionaire’s post quickly went viral, racking up more than a million hits.

Adding to the conversation, industrialist Anand Mahindra chimed in with his own cheerful comment during a recent interaction: “My wife is wonderful. I love looking at her.”

Billionaire RPG Group Chairman Harsh Goenka also shared his views on X, he took a stand against the idea of ​​employees working on Sundays.

“90 hours a week? Why not rename Sunday to “Sun-duty” and make the “day off” a mythical concept! he joked. “Working hard and smart is what I believe in, but turning life into a perpetual office shift? That’s a recipe for burnout, not success. Work-life balance isn’t optional, it’s essential. Well, that’s my opinion!”

Responding to the growing discourse, an L&T spokesperson clarified the intent behind the chairman’s comments. “At L&T, nation building is at the core of our mandate. For more than eight decades, we have been shaping India’s infrastructure, industries and technology capabilities. We believe this is the decade of India, an era that demands collective dedication and effort to drive progress and realize our shared vision of becoming a developed nation.

The President’s remarks reflect this greater ambition, stressing that extraordinary results require extraordinary effort. At L&T, we remain committed to fostering a culture where passion, purpose and performance drive us forward,” the spokesperson said.