- The speaker believes that people should be more productive when they are in person rather than working from home.
- They argue that working from home is morally wrong because it makes others who cannot work from home, such as factory workers and service providers, continue to work.
- The speaker acknowledges that there is pushback against returning to the office, but believes that people should come back to work at least three days a week.
- They mention that productivity and learning are impacted by remote work.
- The speaker also mentions that working at companies like Tesla, SpaceX, and Twitter requires coming into the office every day.
- They suggest working a four-day week and taking vacations, but personally work seven days a week with about six hours of sleep per night.

Tesla and Twitter CEO Elon Musk sits down with CNBC’s David Faber for an exclusive interview from Austin, Texas, during Tesla’s annual shareholder meeting. Musk speaks on his controversial work from home policies and why he thinks it is a 'moral issue'.

Look, I'm a big believer that people need to be more productive when they're in person.

And really, the whole sort of work from home thing, it's like, I think it's...

Look, there are some exceptions, but I kind of think that the whole notion of work from home is a bit like the fake Mari Antoinette quote, "'Let them eat cake.'" It's like, really, you're gonna work from home and you're gonna make everyone else who made your car come work in the factory?

You're gonna make the people who make your food that gets delivered, that they can't work from home?

The people that come fix your house, they can't work from home, but you can?

as just a- It's a productivity issue, but it's also a moral issue.

People should get off the goddamn moral high horse with their work from home bullshit.

Because they're asking everyone else to not work from home

And yet there's still pushback, by the way.

I mean, leaders of organizations, and I speak to plenty of them, I want people back, I want people back.

It's not clear that it's ever going to change.

The laptop class is living in la-la land.

So the people were, you know, building cars, servicing the cars, building houses, fixing houses, making the food, making all the things that people consume.

It's messed up to assume that they have to go to work, but you don't.

Although productivity is definitely impacted too.

So, I mean, look, people will disagree with me about this but I you know it's like

so if you want to work at Tesla you want to work at SpaceX you want to work at Twitter you got to come into the office every day.

I mean, you know, like, I'm not saying, I'm saying, like, look, put 40 hours in, you know?

And, frankly, it doesn't even need to be, like, you know, Monday through Friday, you know?

And also not saying no 1 should take, I mean, I think people should take vacations.

Like, I work 7 days a week, but I'm not expecting others to do that.

I've tried less but I my productivity might even though I'm awake more hours I get less done.

And the brain pain level is bad if I get less than 6 hours.

I actually only in terms of actually you say like how many days in a year do I not put in some meaningful amount of work?


Speaker 0: Look, I'm a big believer that people need to be more productive when they're in person. And really, the whole sort of work from home thing, it's like, I think it's... Look, there are some exceptions, but I kind of think that the whole notion of work from home is a bit like the fake Mari Antoinette quote, "'Let them eat cake.'" It's like, really, you're gonna work from home and you're gonna make everyone else who made your car come work in the factory? You're gonna make the people who make your food that gets delivered, that they can't work from home? The people that come fix your house, they can't work from home, but you can?

Does that seem morally right? That's messed up.

Speaker 1: You see it as a moral issue? Yes. I mean, I see it more

Speaker 0: as just a- It's a productivity issue, but it's also a moral issue. People should get off the goddamn moral high horse with their work from home bullshit. Because they're asking everyone else to not work from home

Speaker 1: while they do. It's wrong. And yet there's still pushback, by the way. It's still going on. This battle is still happening.

I mean, leaders of organizations, and I speak to plenty of them, I want people back, I want people back. 3 days a week, they're still battling. It's not clear that it's ever going to change. People are not coming

Speaker 0: back 5 days a week. The laptop class is living in la-la land. As I said, you can't, look at the cars. Are people working from home here? Of course not.

So the people were, you know, building cars, servicing the cars, building houses, fixing houses, making the food, making all the things that people consume. It's messed up to assume that they have to go to work, but you don't. How is that? It's not just a productivity thing. I think it's morally wrong.

Speaker 1: Although productivity is definitely impacted too. And the ability people to learn.

Speaker 0: I agree.

Speaker 1: I mean, on and on. Listen, I agree.

Speaker 0: So, I mean, look, people will disagree with me about this but I you know it's like

Speaker 1: so if you want to work at Tesla you want to work at SpaceX you want to work at Twitter you got to come into the office every day.

Speaker 0: Yes. I mean, you know, like, I'm not saying, I'm saying, like, look, put 40 hours in, you know? And, frankly, it doesn't even need to be, like, you know, Monday through Friday, you know? You could work Monday through Thursday. And also not saying no 1 should take, I mean, I think people should take vacations.

Like, I work 7 days a week, but I'm not expecting others to do that.

Speaker 1: How much sleep do you get, by the way?

Speaker 0: About 6 hours.

Speaker 1: You do? 6 hours, typically?

Speaker 0: Yes.

Speaker 1: Oh, that's not bad. I thought it would be less.

Speaker 0: I've tried less but I my productivity might even though I'm awake more hours I get less done. Okay. And the brain pain level is bad if I get less than 6 hours.

Speaker 1: But you work 7 days a week? Yes.

Speaker 0: Yeah. I actually only in terms of actually you say like how many days in a year do I not put in some meaningful amount of work? It's probably about 2 or 3.

Speaker 1: Right. 2 or 3 days a year. Yeah. A year.

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Tesla CEO Elon Musk: 'The laptop class is living in la-la land' over work-from-home