Musk’s 120-hr workweek claim triggers heated debate on social media

Entrepreneur Elon Musk has stirred the pot once again!

The Tesla and SpaceX boss claimed that employees at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) are slogging away for a whopping 120 hours each week.

Needless to say, social media users didn’t hold back with their responses.

'Superpower'

Musk, in his usual dramatic flair, dubbed working weekends a "superpower", and took a jab at bureaucrats. He claimed they’re “losing so fat” because they only work 40 hours a week. He went on to say that when government workers clock out for the weekend, it’s like their team “just leaves the field for 2 days!” His post on X had some users scrambling to react.

Also Read: 22-year-old of Indian origin is one of six engineers hired by DOGE

'Terrible boss'

Some reactions were less than complimentary. One user branded Musk a “terrible boss,” while another pointed out the irony that the DOGE website remains empty despite those crazy 120-hour weeks. Another user crunched the numbers and questioned the reality of such long hours, suggesting that if employees take two days off, the rest of the week would still only see 24 hours of work on each day.

"So…Doge is run by aliens, robots, and Elon? Or is Elon just saying anything to make himself look good?" they quipped.

Another user made a point that long hours don’t guarantee success, arguing that it’s the quality of the time spent, the impact of decisions, and strategic thinking that actually counts. Spot on, perhaps?

Also Read: Elon Musk can't do, won't do anything without our approval, says Trump amid USAID closure

Comparisons to Napoleon

But of course, there were also those who stood by Musk, calling the DOGE work culture 'heroic' – comparing him to Napoleon – in terms of genius intellect, dragon energy, and all. Musk has been very clear about his mission at DOGE: rooting out inefficiency and corruption, with plans to implement a leaner, more effective government by July 4, 2026 – in celebration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

Workweek suggestions

This debate on social media comes on the back of some controversial comments made recently by business leaders in India like L&T chairman SN Subrahmanyan, who suggested employees work 90-hour weeks, while Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy had proposed a similar 70-hour workweek.

Looks like the world’s productivity debate is heating up, and Musk is just adding fuel to the fire.