Former X Staff Reveals Elon Musk Works 17 Hours a Day in 'No-Rest' Schedule

Elon Musk won't be the world's first trillionaire if he's not working too much. A former X employee has revealed that the richest man in the world maintains an intense work routine with a schedule that leaves little room for sleep or personal time.

Chris Bakke, who reported directly to the billionaire CEO for over two years, described days stretching well past midnight as Musk juggled responsibilities across Tesla, X, and other ventures.

This work ethic has received concerns about the work-life balance he also imposes on his employees, in the name of human productivity. However, Musk reportedly believes that this level of dedication is what makes Tesla, X, SpaceX, and more of his ventures to be much competitive.

Inside Musk's Gruelling Daily Schedule

Bakke offered details about Musk's typical day, usually dedicating the first few hours spent at Tesla before moving on to evening product meetings at X. According to Bakke, Musk would start his day with roughly 10 hours dedicated to Tesla operations, collaborating closely with teams on engineering, production, and strategy.

Following this, he would transition to X-related work around 5 or 6 pm. Bakke explained that one-on-one check-ins, initially set for 10 pm, often ran later into the night, sometimes pushing to midnight or even 1 am.

'Usually around 2 am, he'd take a brief nap for a couple of hours in the office and then repeat the same schedule the next day with a different set of companies, seven days a week', Bakke wrote on X, noting the sheer intensity of Musk's routine.

Working Longer Hours: Is It the Norm for Tech Bros?

Musk's demanding schedule often catches public attention, receiving both positive and negative reactions.

During a 2014 commencement speech at the University of Southern California's Marshall School of Business, NDTV reported that he said he's working much longer hours than competitors can lead to better results. Musk explained that someone working 100 hours a week would accomplish twice as much in a year as someone working 50 hours.

Musk's work hours seem to be consistent across his companies, too.

Bakke described 17-hour workdays, with long office hours, little rest, and back-to-back meetings.

Long working hours have been a common denominator in the tech industry. Even Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy suggested that young professionals should work 70 hours a week. L&T chairman SN Subrahmanyan proposed a 90-hour workweek. Musk went even further by suggesting that a 120-hour workweek might be suitable in some situations.

He reportedly said that at DOGE, employees work 17-hour days or even 24-hour shifts for several days in a row.

Reactions from Experts

However, experts suggest that while this level of commitment may boost innovation, it can also harm physical and mental health over time.

The desire to achieve more is admirable, but health experts warn that not getting enough sleep and working too much can cause serious physical and mental health problems. These issues include reduced mental function and burnout.

Supporters say that his drive leads to quick breakthroughs in the industry, especially in Musk's space and AI ventures. Critics, however, point out the negative impact this intensity has on employees and stress the need for work-life balance, especially for those earning less than the world's richest man.