X User Sparks Debate Over India's 'Overworked Culture': 'Not Hustle, But Survival'

Akshat Shrivastava, a financial advisor and content creator, has stirred discussion online after claiming that Indians are the most overworked people in the world - not out of choice, but due to deeply rooted systemic pressures instilled from a young age.

Posting on X, Shrivastava highlighted the example of children who study for 10-12 hours a day in preparation for competitive exams. He argued that this capacity to "slog" continues into adulthood.

Photo Credit: Pexels

"Many hardworking Indians migrate abroad. While their European colleagues have downtime, Indians sacrifice their sleep, family and health to serve their company," he wrote.

The content creator linked this trend to a survival mentality formed during childhood. "What's the root cause of all this? Well, it comes down to building survival instincts from a young age," he said, adding: "Many hardworking kids have no choice but to slog."

"Build merit - build a better life. That's their only option. They work silently, putting in hours. Right from the time they are 12-13-year-old kids. Why? because working hard is 100x better than entitled begging," he continued.

Shrivastava's post received a wide array of responses on social media, with some users echoing his sentiments, while others offered a more critical lens.

"Indians are often trapped in a cycle of relentless hard work, chasing middle-class stability without questioning the true return on investment for their efforts. The grind for IIT or NIT can open doors, but why does the pressure to top the class start so early, robbing teens of their youth?" questioned one user.

"Indians don't hustle out of ambition. They hustle because the system taught them there's no safety net, only grind or fall," said another.

"It's not hustle culture, it's survival culture. For many Indians, hard work isn't ambition-it's the only way out," a third user remarked.

"India's work ethic is rooted in survival, not passion. From competitive exams to corporate cubicles, the system teaches us that hard work is the only escape from poverty and mediocrity. This mindset-while admirable-often rewards burnout, not brilliance. Children sacrifice play for tests, adults sacrifice health for targets," another comment read.

However, not everyone agreed. One user wrote, "Hard work is not the problem. Mindset is. Indians need to know: hard work is not the key to success - leverage is."

"If you are born among 1.5 billion people in a 3rd world country, Hard work and Struggle are inevitable," added another.