Reinhold Würth, the 91-year-old honorary chairman of the Würth Group's foundation supervisory board, has sharply criticized what he describes as a declining work ethic among Germans.
In remarks published Monday in an excerpt from "The Pioneer" podcast, the billionaire entrepreneur said the country's once-cherished drive for achievement had eroded. "The idea of performance has been lost," Würth said, warning that Germany's economic culture no longer rewards ambition and effort as it once did.
Würth, who built the Würth Group into one of the world's largest wholesale distributors of fasteners and assembly materials, has long been one of Germany's most prominent and outspoken business leaders.