Elon Musk Back to 7-Day Workweeks and Office Sleepovers as He Calls Himself a 'Wartime CEO'

Hans India

2 days ago

Elon Musk is once again embracing his famously punishing work schedule, declaring that he's returned to seven-day workweeks and sleeping at the office whenever his children are away. The billionaire entrepreneur shared the update in a recent post on X, highlighting that he's back in what he calls 'wartime mode' — a term he uses to describe periods when relentless effort and undivided focus are necessary to navigate challenges across his multiple companies.
'Back to working 7 days a week and sleeping in the office if my little kids are away,' Musk wrote on X, reposting an older video clip where he reflects on the gruelling toll of being a 'Wartime CEO.' In the clip, Musk appears visibly emotional as he recounts past moments when this intense lifestyle came at a personal cost. The footage dates back to the dark days when Tesla's survival was in jeopardy. 'No one should put these many hours into work. This is not good. This is very painful. It hurts my brain and my heart,' Musk says in the video.
Back to working 7 days a week and sleeping in the office if my little kids are away https://t.co/77cc6sRCFZ — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 20, 2025
Today, multiple high-stakes projects are pushing Musk back into this relentless routine. His hands are full with the latest developments at X (formerly Twitter), Tesla's ambitious production timelines, SpaceX's missions, and his bold ventures into artificial intelligence and government reform.
Musk's legendary devotion to work is nothing new. Over the years, he has openly admitted that he works obsessively when the stakes are high. Just this February, he claimed that he and his team at the Department of Government Efficiency — or DOGE, as he calls it — put in 120-hour weeks, while his 'bureaucratic opponents' manage only 40. 'That is why they are losing so fast,' Musk quipped.
He's shared similar stories before. In a 2018 interview with CBS' 60 Minutes, Musk recalled the intense days of Tesla's Model 3 production crunch. He worked and slept on the factory floor to keep operations moving when the company was losing up to $100 million a week. 'It was life or death. We were losing $50 [million], sometimes $100 million a week. Running out of money,' Musk told CBS' Lesley Stahl.
He repeated this sentiment in another CBS sit-down with Gayle King, explaining that sleeping at the factory was part of setting an example. 'I don't believe people should be experiencing hardship while the CEO is off on holiday,' he said.
In 2022, Musk told investor Ron Baron that he spent three years living inside Tesla's Fremont and Nevada factories. He described sleeping in a tent on the roof or under his desk when production demands were most intense. 'It was damn uncomfortable sleeping on that floor,' Musk admitted. 'And always, when I woke up, I'd smell like metal dust.'
Musk's 'Wartime CEO' mindset has not only shaped his personal routine but has also influenced workplace culture at his companies. When he acquired Twitter in 2022, he famously demanded that employees commit to 'long hours at high intensity' if they wanted to keep their jobs. Those who couldn't commit to what he described as an 'extremely hardcore' approach were offered severance packages instead.
Following the Twitter takeover, reports surfaced that parts of Twitter's San Francisco headquarters had been converted into makeshift sleeping quarters for staff — a move that triggered an investigation by the city's Department of Building Inspection. According to the Associated Press, some former employees claimed Musk had effectively turned the office into a 'Twitter Hotel.' When the city pushed back, Musk fired back on X, writing, 'So the city of SF attacks companies providing beds for tired employees instead of making sure kids are safe from fentanyl.'
Whether this gruelling schedule will help Musk tackle the mounting challenges at Tesla, SpaceX, X, and beyond remains to be seen. But for now, the world's richest man seems ready once again to trade comfort for the battlefront, living up to his self-appointed title: the 'Wartime CEO.'