Elon Musk's Extreme Work Schedule: Former X Employee Reveals 20+ Hour Days and Minimal Sleep Pattern

A former employee of X has provided unique insights into the rigorous daily schedule maintained by billionaire Elon Musk, detailing how the tech entrepreneur manages his responsibilities across his multiple companies.

Chris Bakke, who directly reported to Musk for over two years, described an exhausting schedule that extended late into the night with minimal rest periods.

Responding to a tweet from US Representative Teresa Leger Fernandez claiming that "Any school teacher has more work ethic in their pinky finger than Elon Musk has in his entire body," Bakke came to Musk's defense.

He revealed that Musk's typical day began with approximately 10 hours dedicated to Tesla operations, followed by X product meetings in the evening, usually starting around 5 or 6 pm.

Bakke mentioned that his scheduled one-on-one meetings with Musk, initially set for 10 pm, were frequently delayed until 11 pm, midnight, or even as late as 1 am.

"When I reported to Elon, we would have X product meetings at 5 or 6pm (because he was with the Tesla team for 10 hours before that), then my 1:1 checkin would be at 10pm, but that would regularly get moved to 11pm or midnight or 1am," Bakke wrote on X.

He further explained, "Usually around 2 am, he'd go take a nap for a couple hours in the office and then repeat the same schedule again the next day with a different set of companies, 7 days a week."

Musk has consistently been recognized for his extreme work ethic and frequently advocates that working extended hours can produce greater results.

During his 2014 commencement address at the University of Southern California's Marshall School of Business, Musk stated, "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."

Earlier this year, the discourse on excessive work hours gained international attention when Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy recommended that young professionals should work 70 hours weekly, while L&T chairman SN Subrahmanyan proposed a 90-hour workweek.

The conversation escalated when Elon Musk joined the discussion, suggesting a 120-hour workweek. He asserted that at DOGE, employees follow an intense schedule, working either 17 hours daily for seven days straight or completing 24-hour shifts for five consecutive days.