Elon Musk's old emails demanding 40 hours in office weekly goes viral: 'Tesla would long ago have gone bankrupt'

Chris Hladczuk, CEO of Venture Fund Hanover, recently shared two emails from 2022 sent by Elon Musk, with subjects like "remote work is no longer acceptable" and "to be super clear." The post sharing these emails has now gone viral, amassing nearly 50 million views. The fascination stems from global curiosity about how the world's richest person operates, how Tesla stays profitable, and the strategies behind its innovative success.

In emails from May 2022, Elon Musk made it clear that employees must work at least 40 hours a week in a main Tesla office rather than at remote branches, emphasising that "remote work is no longer acceptable."

Musk explained that Tesla's success and innovation rely on employees being physically present at the office, actively contributing rather than "phoning it in."

He added, "The more senior you are, the more visible your presence must be. That is why I lived in the factory so much ¡ª so that those on the line could see me working alongside them. If I had not done that, Tesla would long ago have gone bankrupt."

Musk also pointed out that while some companies operate without requiring physical presence, they rarely produce innovative products.

"When was the last time they shipped a great new product? It's been a while. Tesla has and will continue to create exciting and meaningful products on Earth, but this will not happen by phoning it in," he said.

Previously, Musk's simple five-step strategy for reducing mistakes at Tesla and SpaceX had also gone viral. His approach includes:

• Make Requirements Less Dumb
• Delete the Part or Process Step
• Optimise
• Accelerate
• Automate

These examples show how actively involved Musk is as a leader.

How did people respond?

The comments section featured a wide range of opinions on Musk's stance, with some people praising his insights and others strongly disagreeing.

One user applauded Musk's foresight, saying, "He understood it long before others."

He understood it long before others.

¡ª FALAK SHER (@FalakDigital) December 9, 2024

However, another user took a more critical perspective, asserting, "Remote work isn't the problem. The real issue is the poisoned mindset toward work. Too many are conditioned to perform only when being watched, rather than driven by a belief in the collective success of their company¡ªor humanity as a whole."

Remote work isn¡¯t the problem.

>The real issue is the poisoned mindset toward work.

Too many are conditioned to perform only when being watched, rather than driven by a belief in the collective success of their company¡ªor humanity as a whole.

I¡¯ve done my best work remotely.¡­

¡ª Hacks To Hoops (@HacksToHoops) December 9, 2024

On the other hand, a different opinion defended the remote-work setup, stating, "Disagree, I work more efficiently when I¡¯m at my base with my environment to be fully focused. In the office, most people talk too much and there is a greater distraction."

Disagree, I work more efficiently when I¡¯m at my base with my environment to be fully focused. In the office, most people talk too much and there is a greater distraction.

I get that most companies don¡¯t like Homeoffice / remote work but it¡¯s not the issue itself, the¡­

¡ª Michael Sathya Gorski (@GorskiSathya) December 9, 2024

Yet another comment sided with Musk, declaring, "He's absolutely right. An in-person workforce will outperform a remote one every day of the week. It's not even close."

This simple algorithm that I came up with to help me make fewer dumb mistakes in the future is incredibly powerful https://t.co/tRJhe0gy6y

¡ª Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 29, 2024

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