'It's Simple Math,' Musk Said – If You Work 100 Hours A Week And Others Work 50, You'll Accomplish Twice As Much As Them

Elon Musk is well-known for his unwavering commitment to his work. The CEO of SpaceX and Tesla TSLA frequently discusses his lengthy workdays and believes this is a major factor in his success. Musk has a simple approach to work: if you want to get ahead, you must invest the time.

At a commencement ceremony for USC’s Marshall School of Business in 2014, Musk told graduates, “You need to work super hard.” He explained that when he and his brother started their first company, they couldn’t afford an apartment, so they rented a small office and slept on the couch. “We showered at the YMCA and were so hard-up that we only had one computer,” Musk said. He would code at night and the website would be live during the day.

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“I work hard, like every waking hour,” he said. Musk believes that the more time you put into your work, the more you accomplish. “If somebody else is working 50 hours [per week] and you’re working 100, you’ll get twice as much done in the course of a year as the other company,” he explained. In his eyes, it's just “simple math.”

During the production crunch for Tesla’s Model 3, Musk was known for sleeping on the factory floor to monitor operations. He once told CBS's Gayle King that sometimes he didn't even bother with the factory couch because “the couch was too narrow.”

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Telling the USC graduates, “Now is the time to take risks,” Musk urged them to take advantage of possibilities while they were still young and had few responsibilities. According to Musk, that kind of fearless work ethic can help set you apart.

Musk’s strategy has inspired many people, but it has also generated much debate. Is working 100 hours a week sustainable or even healthy? Musk has admitted the potential personal cost, after all. Considering that this is coming from a man who has twelve children, one should logically wonder how much time he spends with them. 

These days, Musk is constantly embroiled in controversy, particularly with his purchase of Twitter and the devaluation of Twitter and his unrelenting support for Donald Trump in the upcoming presidential elections. His actions have raised questions about his leadership and intentions, adding complexity to the public’s perception of his work ethic and vision for the future.

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