Elon Musk Admits 'Some Jobs' Can Be Done From Home, But Says 'Super Out Of Touch' To Suggest Most Can Work Remotely

Zinger Key Points
  • Elon Musk deemed widespread remote work unrealistic and 'out of touch' for the majority of people.
  • He criticized the imbalance between the luxury of working from home for the 'laptop classes' and the need for service workers to be physical
  • Musk has been a longstanding critic of remote work and has written to Twitter employees on the need to return to office.

Just a few days after expressing his concerns about the unequal nature of remote work, Elon Musk took to Twitter to offer a concise perspective on the issue.

What Happened: While replying to a tweet that said, "It's morally wrong to not commute to work in a Tesla," Musk acknowledged that while certain jobs "can be done effectively at home," it is unrealistic and "out of touch" to expect the majority of people to have that option.

See Also: Will Elon Musk Heed This One Advice From Warren Buffett In An Effort To Lift Tesla’s Sagging Stock? ‘If You Could Buy Dollar Bills For 80 Cents …’

Using a historical analogy, Musk likened the idea of widespread remote work to the phrase, "Let them eat cake," suggesting that it is an impractical solution for most individuals.

On Tuesday, during an interview with CNBC's David Faber, Musk expressed his criticism of remote work, saying it was "morally wrong" when service workers still had to show up in person.

He questioned the fairness of the "laptop classes" benefiting from the luxury of working from home while service workers had no alternative but to be present at their workplaces.

This discussion arose in the context of the return-to-office policies that have sparked significant concerns among Silicon Valley and U.S. tech workers, especially since many of them were initially promised generous remote work mandates by top executives.

Why It Matters: Musk has been time and again quite vocal in his opposition to the work-from-home practice.

In November 2022, he banned remote work at Twitter in his first email to the employees since buying the social media company, saying that the social media platform needs “intense work” in the office.

Then, in March this year, Musk sent out his plans for returning to the office to his Twitter employees in the middle of the night.

Read Next: Micromanaging Or Masterstroke? Elon Musk Reportedly Takes Control Of Tesla’s Hiring Process

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