Elon Musk has once again sparked debate over work culture, this time advocating for an extreme 120-hour workweek. Responding to a post on X praising the newly established U.S. Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) for uncovering fraud in the previous administration, Musk revealed that DOGE employees are working 120 hours per week—translating to over 17 hours per day. Taking a swipe at his critics, he remarked, “DOGE is working 120 hours a week. Our bureaucratic opponents optimistically work 40 hours a week. That is why they are losing so fast.”

Musk, who co-chairs DOGE, has long promoted an intense work ethic, previously mandating an 80-hour workweek at Twitter (now X) following his 2022 takeover. Elon Musk was replying to a post that praised the new U.S. administration and its Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) for exposing fraud linked to the previous administration. “In just two weeks, they’ve uncovered massive waste, fraud, and misuse of taxpayer money! Decades of corruption and mismanagement are finally coming to an end—thank you, @DOGE!” the post stated.

70 hours, 90 hours, 120 hours…

This is not the first time people have been asked to work beyond the regular shifts to bring prosperity to the company. The work-life balance debate can be traced to when L&T Chairman SN Subrahmanyan’s remarks advocating a 90-hour workweek went viral, sparking outrage. His comments, including a quip about how long one can stare at their spouse, drew sharp criticism, with many calling out the unrealistic expectations of excessive work hours.

Also Read

Earlier, Infosys founder Narayana Murthy called on Indian youth to work 70 hours a week to boost the country’s productivity, drawing both support and criticism. Citing Germany and Japan as benchmarks, he stressed the need for a stronger work ethic, though the idea of nearly 12-hour workdays, six days a week, has sparked debate.

What do the Netizens have to say?

Elon Musk’s claim that DOGE employees work 120-hour weeks has sparked mixed reactions online. Some praised his work ethic, saying, “There’s a reason why Elon Musk’s companies are so successful. They work 120 hours per week!” Others questioned sustainability, with one user noting, “More than 85 hours is really just not sustainable.” The legality of such hours for government employees was also raised, “So how are federal staff in DOGE legally putting in these hours?” Meanwhile, critics slammed the tech industry’s overwork culture, calling it “a plantation… no rights, no job security, no future.” Some also questioned if Musk would face the same backlash as Indian CEOs, asking, “Will he get memes like NRM and SNS, or will he get appreciation because he is Elon Musk?”