Elon Musk says he is back to 7-day workweeks, sleeping in office as 'wartime CEO'
Elon Musk's post on X
What's driving Musk's return to this relentless work routine right now is the pressure mounting across several of his ventures. These include ongoing developments at X (formerly Twitter), ambitious timelines at Tesla and SpaceX, and bold plans in AI and government reform.
And this is not the first time Musk has been working all day. In many other interviews, Musk has admitted that he works obsessively when the situation demands it. In February 2025, Musk boasted that he and his team at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) work 120 hours a week, while 'bureaucratic opponents' work only 40. 'That is why they are losing so fast,' he added.Speaking in a 2018 interview with CBS' 60 Minutes, Musk described putting in 120-hour weeks during Tesla's Model 3 production crisis, working and sleeping on the factory floor. "It was life or death. We were losing $50 [million], sometimes $100 million a week. Running out of money," Musk told host Lesley Stahl. In another CBS interview with Gayle King, Musk said he slept at the Tesla factory to lead by example: 'I don't believe people should be experiencing hardship while the CEO is off on holiday.'In a 2022 conversation with investor Ron Baron, Musk revealed that he had lived in Tesla's Fremont and Nevada factories for three years, even sleeping in a tent on the roof or under his desk. 'It was damn uncomfortable sleeping on that floor,' Musk said. 'And always, when I woke up, I'd smell like metal dust.'advertisementBut Musk's pattern of working relentlessly has often extended beyond himself. When he acquired Twitter in late 2022, he demanded the same intensity from his employees. In an email reported by The Washington Post, Musk told Twitter staff they must commit to 'long hours at high intensity' to remain at the company. Those unwilling to adopt what he described as an 'extremely hardcore' work ethic were offered severance packages.In fact, following the acquisition, Twitter's San Francisco office was reportedly turned into a quasi-dormitory, prompting an investigation by the city's Department of Building Inspection. According to an Associated Press report, former employees alleged that Musk illegally converted office spaces into makeshift bedrooms, leading some to dub the headquarters 'Twitter Hotel.' In response to the city's scrutiny, Musk fired back on X, saying, 'So the city of SF attacks companies providing beds for tired employees instead of making sure kids are safe from fentanyl.'- Ends
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