L&T Chairman's 90-hours work week comment sparks 'stare at wife on Sunday' memes, Zomato adds humorous spin

Larsen & Toubro (L&T) Chairman SN Subrahmanyan's controversial comment about working 90-hour weeks and questioning the need for Sundays off has ignited a viral wave of humorous responses on social media. What started as a serious discussion about work ethics quickly turned into a meme fest, with the phrase "stare at wife" becoming the center of a comedic storm.

Subrahmanyan’s remarks, made during a public address, suggested that employees should work 90 hours a week and even consider forgoing Sundays as a day of rest. His comment about “staring at your wife” during a Sunday at home, instead of taking time off, immediately captured the internet’s attention.

In true social media style, Zomato joined the conversation with a humorous twist. The food delivery giant posted on X (formerly Twitter), "In case you don't have a wife, feel free to stare at your order arriving on the app."

The playful jab at Subrahmanyan’s remark struck a chord with users, sparking a flood of memes that riffed on the "stare at your wife" concept.

L&T Chairman's remarks triggers responses from CEOs

The response from Zomato, while lighthearted, was also a subtle critique of the intense work culture that Subrahmanyan seemed to promote. It also reflected a broader sentiment shared by many CEOs and industry leaders, such as Mahindra Group’s Anand Mahindra and Serum Institute of India’s Adar Poonawalla, who both emphasized the importance of maintaining a healthy work-life balance.

"I’m on social media not because I’m lonely. My wife is wonderful, I love staring at her. I’m here because people don’t understand it is an amazing business tool," wrote Anand Mahindra in a post on X recently.

Poonawalla wrote, "Even my wife loves staring at me on Sundays."

Meanwhile, Harsh Goenka, Chairman of RPG Group, slammed the 90-hour workweek idea, calling work-life balance "essential."

“90 hours a week? Why not rename Sunday to ‘Sun-duty’ and make ‘day off’ a mythical concept! 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," Goenka wrote on X.

"L&T has been at the forefront of building the new India, delivering world-class infrastructure and shaping our nation’s future with unwavering dedication. Let’s not let isolated controversies overshadow the immense contributions of this iconic organization. Time to move on!" he stated in another post.

Rajiv Bajaj of Bajaj Auto even chimed in, suggesting that quality over quantity should be the focus, and advocating for a "kinder, gentler world."

Anupam Mittal, founder of Shaadi.com, reacted to Subrahmanyan’s “stare at wife" remark. “But sir, if husband and wife don’t look at each other, how will we remain the most populous country in the world," he said.

While the debate over work hours and life balance is far from over, the viral meme fest sparked by L&T Chairman’s 90-hour workweek comment shows no signs of slowing down.

Here's a look at memes that exploded following L&T Chairman's latest remarks: