Elon Musk’s Weekend Work Remark Sparks Debate; Nilesh Shah Questions Public Reaction

Elon Musk’s latest comments on government workers taking weekends off have reignited the 90-hour workweek debate, prompting Kotak Mahindra AMC’s Nilesh Shah to question whether the X (formerly Twitter) owner will face the same criticism as L&T Chairman SN Subramanyan or be praised “because he is Elon Musk.”

Shah also recalled the backlash Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy received for advocating 70-hour workweeks. Taking to X, he wrote, “It will be interesting to see how people react to this comment. Will he get memes like NRM and SNS, or will he get appreciation because he is Elon Musk?”*

What Did Elon Musk Say?
Responding to a post on X about a U.S. government department “speedrunning reforms,” Musk commented, “Very few in the bureaucracy actually work the weekend, so it’s like the opposing team just leaves the field for 2 days! Working the weekend is a superpower.”

Musk’s remark has since garnered 15.8 million views and sparked widespread reactions.

Social Media Reactions
Musk, known for his witty online engagement, received mixed responses to his statement. Some agreed with his sentiment, while others offered criticism and sarcasm.

One user remarked, “It’s hard to be a parent and work on weekends, at least for normal people without nannies and jets.” Another quipped, “Imagine not showing up on weekends. Couldn’t be me.”

However, some pushed back, with one person stating, “Can you imagine a society where everyone works weekends or 7 days a week? It’s okay for some to choose that, but life is more than just work.”

Musk’s Views on Extended Workweeks
While Musk has not directly commented on the 90-hour or 70-hour workweek debates, a 2018 post of his resurfaced during the controversy involving Subramanyan. At the time, Musk stated, “Nobody ever changed the world with 40 hours a week.”

Encouraging people to join Tesla, SpaceX, Boring Company, and Neuralink, he noted that “there are way easier places to work, but if you love what you do, it (mostly) doesn’t feel like work.”

When asked about the ideal number of hours required to “change the world,”Musk responded, “Varies per person, but about 80 sustained, peaking above 100 at times.”