Elon Musk is renowned not just as one of the world’s richest people, but also as a workaholic. His extraordinary dedication to his work has enabled him to become an influential business magnate, investor, engineer, and inventor. Initially known for founding the company Tesla, he has since made a name for himself with his other ventures involving SpaceX and other startups. But how much work is Musk actually doing in a day?
Musk himself has admitted that he works for 85 – 90 hours a week, translating to almost 13 hours a day. According to former Tesla employees, his day is strongly regimented, which basically means he works from 9AM to 7PM, with a break for lunch and occasional time off for dinner. Nonetheless, closely associated individuals have stated that he often works until 1 or 2AM, and sometimes even longer, making it seem he works for nearly 15 hours in total.
Musk’s assertion is further backed up by journalists and writers who have written about him. According to Vanity Fair, Musk wakes up at 7AM and reads news feeds on his phone until 8AM. Between 8AM and 9AM, he reviews the agenda for the day before finally heading off to work. His work day then consists of back-to-back meetings with executives and engineers while he often works till the evening.
Experts on the matter suggest that Musks’ long working hours, despite the health hazards connected to it, have actually been pivotal to his success. His snazzy work regime allows him enough time throughout the workday to ponder over business matters, resulting in billion-dollar decisions, as well as inspiring technological breakthroughs.
However, the average man may not be capable of living the same kind of routine. Coupled with the toll that long-term stress and fatigue have on creativity and cognitive function, it is safe to assume that Musk’s working model might be unfeasible in the long run.
It is no wonder that Musk himself has admitted to having tried to reduce his working hours, but as of yet it remains unknown as to why he has not been able to. It can only be assumed that his desire to move further ahead coupled with his ambition are keeping him from leaving the path to success, even if it comes at a cost.
