'We don’t believe in work-life balance': Indian founder gets blunt advice from Chinese entrepreneur

An Indian startup founder has sparked discussion online after recounting a candid remark from a Chinese entrepreneur on work culture and execution.

EV Doctor co-founder Shubham Mishra said in a post on X (formerly Twitter) that he recently spoke with a Chinese entrepreneur who is set to become an official distribution partner for an Indian product in China. The partnership will see Chinese electric vehicle businesses begin using an Indian battery-testing solution.

Before concluding the call, Mishra asked the entrepreneur about the biggest difference between Indian and Chinese entrepreneurs. “I expected something philosophical,” Mishra wrote.

Instead, the Chinese entrepreneur responded: “We don’t believe in work-life balance and its online debates. There’s only two things: work time or personal time.”

Mishra described the response as “simple, raw, and brutally practical,” adding that while many in India debate balance, Chinese entrepreneurs often focus on execution.

In the same post, Mishra noted that some Chinese EV businesses will soon begin using an Indian battery tester. He said the image shared was from an EV workshop in India using “EV DOCTOR” for a 15-minute flash test of an EV battery.

Had a word with a Chinese entrepreneur today
he’s soon becoming our official channel partner there.

Yes, a distribution partner for an Indian product in China.

Just before wrapping up the call, I asked him a simple question: “What’s the biggest difference between Indian… pic.twitter.com/JMT4J6wf5L

— Shubham Mishra (@brahma_4u) February 10, 2026

Netizens reaction

The comments have drawn attention to differing approaches to work culture and the growing collaboration between Indian and Chinese businesses in emerging technology sectors.

“Sometimes balance isn’t dividing time; it’s deciding what deserves your full attention in each moment,” a user wrote.

“They have lost birth rates for that and no country has been abke to reverse it, security and economics both depend on birth rates,” another wrote.

Firmware, server side encryption, proprietary real time datasets trained algorithms and ghost ckts.

— Shubham Mishra (@brahma_4u) February 10, 2026