Russian Billionaire Calls for 72-Hour Work Week as World Embraces Slowdown
Oleg Deripaska's extreme productivity demand reveals how detached wealth remains from global work culture shifts.
Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska told Business Insider that people should work 12-hour days, six days a week to boost economic productivity. The aluminum magnate, worth $2.3 billion according to Forbes, made these comments in March 2026 while discussing Russia's economic challenges. Deripaska specifically argued that longer work hours would help Russia compete globally, suggesting that current work schedules are insufficient for economic growth. His proposal amounts to 72 hours per week, double the standard 36-40 hour European work week that many countries are now reducing further.
This demand comes exactly as the global workforce moves in the opposite direction. For the past five years, countries from Belgium to Iceland have piloted four-day work weeks with maintained or improved productivity. Microsoft Japan saw 40% productivity gains with shorter weeks. Meanwhile, quiet quitting dominated workplace conversations in 2022-2024, and Gen Z workers increasingly prioritize work-life balance over salary. The assumption that more hours equals more output has collapsed across industries. Deripaska's call for 72-hour weeks represents the final gasps of industrial-era thinking, where physical presence mattered more than mental capacity. His timing is particularly tone-deaf as global burnout rates hit record highs and companies struggle to retain talent demanding flexibility.
When billionaires demand longer hours while workers demand shorter ones, the disconnect becomes a cultural chasm. Productivity isn't about time spent but energy invested.
Position your workplace policies as explicitly anti-hustle culture in recruiting and retention strategies. The growing divide between executive demands and worker expectations creates competitive advantage for companies that choose employee wellbeing over outdated productivity metrics.
Source: Business Insider