Elon Musk slams remote work at Tesla

What did Elon Musk say about remote work at Tesla?

In a leaked internal email, Elon Musk told Tesla and SpaceX staff to work a minimum of 40 hours a week in the office or leave the company, making clear he views remote work as incompatible with building great products.

• Musk sent two emails demanding employees return to the office for at least 40 hours per week or “depart Tesla,” adding that anyone who did not show up would be assumed to have resigned.
• He argued that senior staff especially must be physically visible, citing his own time on the SpaceX factory floor as key to the company’s survival.
• The email went viral on Twitter, where Musk quipped that people who consider office work an antiquated concept “should pretend to work somewhere else.”

CEO Elon Musk slammed remote work in a leaked email, demanding Tesla and SpaceX employees to work at least 40 hours a week in the office or resign.

Musk sent two separate emails regarding the new policy. “Anyone who wishes to do remote work must be in the office for a minimum (and I mean *minimum*) of 40 hours per week or depart Tesla. This is less than we ask of factory workers,” Musk said in the first email.

“If you don’t show up, we will assume you have resigned.”

Elon Musk’s opinion on remote work

Elon Musk, also known as the world’s richest person, is definitely not a fan of remote work.

In a follow-up email, Musk stated, “There are of course companies that don’t require this [employees to return to office], but when was the last time they shipped a great new product? It’s been a while.”

The billionaire Tesla CEO added that the company will “create and manufacture the most exciting and meaningful products of any company on Earth.”

“This will not happen by phoning it in,” he emphasized.

Musk claims that being visible and working on-site plays a huge factor in a business’ success. 

“The more senior you are, the more visible must be your presence. That is why I spent so much time in the factory, so that those on the line could see me working alongside them. If I had not done that, SpaceX would long ago have gone bankrupt.”

Elon Musk vs remote work

Musk’s leaked email became instantly viral, especially on social media platform Twitter – which he recently bought for US$44 billion.

One Twitter user in particular asked the Tesla CEO, “A lot of people are talking about this leaked email, any additional comment to people who think coming into work is an antiquated concept?”

Elon Musk replied, “They should pretend to work somewhere else.”

Musk has not officially responded to requests for comment.

Why Elon Musk is against remote work

The outspoken Tesla CEO is known to not hold back on his strong opinions against remote work.

In an interview with The FInancial TImes, Musk expressed his admiration to Chinese factory workers who work hard and “won’t even leave the factory.” He then compared it to Americans who are trying to “avoid going to work at all.”

Do you think this is a fair comparison? Let us know!

Frequently asked questions

What did Elon Musk’s leaked email say about remote work?

Musk’s email stated that anyone who wants to do remote work must be in the office for a minimum of 40 hours per week or leave Tesla, noting this is less than what is asked of factory workers. He added that if employees did not show up, the company would assume they had resigned.

Why is Elon Musk against remote work?

Musk believes that being visible and working on-site is a major factor in a business’s success. He argued that the more senior an employee is, the more visible their presence must be, pointing to the time he spent on the factory floor as the reason SpaceX avoided bankruptcy.

How did Elon Musk respond to critics of returning to the office?

When a Twitter user asked whether coming into work is an antiquated concept, Musk replied that people who feel that way “should pretend to work somewhere else.” He also questioned when remote-first companies had last shipped a great new product.

What did Musk say about Chinese and American workers?

In an interview with The Financial Times, Musk expressed admiration for Chinese factory workers who work hard and “won’t even leave the factory,” comparing them with Americans who he said try to “avoid going to work at all.”

Did the office return rule also apply to SpaceX?

Yes. The return-to-office directive applied to both Tesla and SpaceX employees, and Musk used his own on-site presence at SpaceX as the example for why senior staff should work in person.