Elon Musk has been vocal about his dislike for remote workers, and he continues to emphasize this stance during Tesla earnings calls.
During the Q3 2023 call on Wednesday, Musk addressed various topics, including lower-than-expected revenue and earnings at Tesla. He also discussed the challenges faced by his customer base.
Musk took the opportunity to stress the importance of physically going to work, sharing a well-known anecdote about sleeping on the floor of Tesla factories when necessary.
His unusual sleeping habits extend beyond Tesla — as the founder of SpaceX, he has also slept in the head offices of X, which he acquired in October of last year.
During the call, Musk drew parallels between working from home and costs, arguing that affordability is not currently an option for most buyers. He compared this sentiment to Marie Antoinette’s famous quote, “Let them eat cake,” suggesting that those advocating for remote work are disconnected from reality.
Musk, who is the richest man on earth, continued to highlight the importance of physical presence at work, referencing the people who work in factories, restaurants, and food delivery services.
Linking his point to the uncertain outlook for consumer confidence due to high Fed rates and inflation, Musk emphasized that cost is not an optional consideration for the majority of people. He justified the decision to reduce prices on vehicles and software, stating that making the products more affordable is necessary.
Longtime critic
Employees familiar with Musk’s views are not surprised by his stance. Last year, he instructed his white-collar workers to return to their desks for at least 40 hours a week, emphasizing fairness and comparing their workload to that of factory workers.
After acquiring Twitter, Musk also required the platform’s hybrid and remote staff to return to the office. He sent emails stating that the “office is not optional” and that employees needed to become “extremely hardcore” if they wanted to remain with the company.
Musk later had to soften his approach after more employees threatened to quit. He wrote that excellent contribution is the main requirement for approval and encouraged in-person meetings with colleagues at least once a month.
What do other Big Tech titans believe?
One of Musk’s rivals, Bill Gates, has been criticized by Musk multiple times in recent years. However, Gates changed his stance on remote work after observing how businesses operated during the pandemic. He acknowledged that many activities can be done outside the office and highlighted the success of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s global operations.
Other CEOs, such as Dropbox’s Drew Houston and Spotify, have embraced remote work policies. However, some business leaders, including JPMorgan’s Jamie Dimon and Amazon’s Andy Jassy, have mandated a return to the office. Companies like Goldman Sachs, Meta, and Google are also enforcing office attendance and threatening disciplinary actions or performance markdowns for non-compliance.
