90-hour workweek: When Elon Musk said nobody changed the world with 40 hours a week

The controversy over Larsen & Toubro (L&T) Chairman SN Subrahmanyan‘s suggestion of a 90-hour workweek shows no sign of dying down, dividing opinions online about work-life balance. 

Subrahmanyan’s remarks, including the idea that employees should even forgo their Sundays, have drawn sharp reactions. Some hail his perspective, while others see it as a troubling push towards burnout. 

The debate has also revived a 2018 post by Tesla founder and X owner Elon Musk, who famously said, “Nobody ever changed the world with 40 hours a week.” 

Musk’s quote has found fresh traction online amid the current controversy.

In 2018, responding to an article posted by the Wall Street Journal, Elon Musk quote tweeted, “Join to create exciting new worlds of technology!! If getting things done matters to you, then @SpaceX, @Tesla, @BoringCompany & @Neuralink are the places to be.”

In another post in the same thread, the Tesla founder stated that there are way easier places to work, but nobody ever changed the world on 40 hours a week.

“But if you love what you do, it (mostly) doesn’t feel like work,” wrote Musk.

However, one of the X users questioned Musk about the correct number of hours a week to change the world.

“Varies per person, but about 80 sustained, peaking above 100 at times,” said Musk in response to a question.

“Pain level increases exponentially above 80,” he further added.

The debate over work-life balance has continued ever since Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy stirred a social media storm by saying youngsters should be prepared to work for 70 hours a week.

L&T Chairman SN Subrahmanyan is also facing severe backlash for his controversial remarks.

“I regret I am not able to make you work on Sundays. If I can make you work on Sundays, I will be more happy, because I work on Sundays. What do you do sitting at home? How long can you stare at your wife? How long can the wives stare at their husbands? Come on, get to the office and start working,” said Subrahmanyan advocating for 90-hour workweeks.

However, several industrialists, including Anand Mahindra, Harsh Goenka and Rajiv Bajaj have reiterated that quality of work is important over quantity.