Bengaluru founder defends call for 80-hour workweeks, says youth should ‘push limits’

A Bengaluru-based startup founder has stirred debate online after posting a job listing calling for candidates willing to work up to 80 hours a week, a move that has reignited discussions on workplace culture and employee well-being in India’s tech sector.

Umesh Kumar, co-founder and CEO of Runable, shared the post on X (formerly Twitter) announcing an opening for a “full or intern stack engineer” for the company’s onsite Bengaluru office. The listing specified that applicants must be ready to work six days a week and “pull off 60–80 hours per week.”

Kumar added that he was not looking for beginners or “cracked devs” but for someone who believed in Runable’s mission to become the “General AI Agent for Every Task” and could commit fully to the company’s vision.

hiring full stack engg. (full time/intern) to join us @runable_hq

requirements?
> on-site, bangalore
> 6x days/week
> able to pull off 60-80 hours per week
> knows his/her shit around js/ts and llms

not looking for a beginner. not looking for a cracked dev either (if you are,… https://t.co/GUyxhFYVIB

— Umesh Kumar (@itsumeshk) October 25, 2025

The post triggered widespread reactions across social media, with many users criticising the excessive work-hour expectation. One user commented that “80 hours doesn’t feel healthy—that’s more than 12 hours a day,” while another suggested hiring “someone more competent so they work 60 hours instead.” Others called the demand “exploitative” and “unsustainable.”

In response to the criticism, Kumar defended his stance in a statement to Hindustan Times Digital, saying that long workweeks were essential for personal and professional growth in one’s early career. He believes that 20s are the time to push limits, learn fast, and build a strong foundation for one's career. Adding, he said that if someone isn’t willing to put in those 60–80 hours a week to grow in that phase, it feels unfair to later blame the government or companies for a lack of opportunities.

According to his LinkedIn profile, Kumar holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee and co-founded Runable in April 2025. The company, which is seven months old, describes itself as an AI-driven platform building a general-purpose agent for automation across tasks.

While the founder’s remarks have divided opinion, the episode reflects a broader conversation about India’s startup work culture, echoing recent debates sparked by similar comments from tech leaders who have advocated for longer work hours as a path to success.