Forget 70 or 90 hours, Elon Musk advocates 120-hour workweek citing DOGE

Billionaire Elon Musk has joined the work-hour debate saying that employees of White House’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which is led by Musk himself, work 120 hours in a week.

Claiming that the bureaucratic opponents are "losing so fast" as they work 40 hours a week, Musk further advocated for a working weekend terming it a "superpower".

"DOGE is working 120 hour a week. Our bureaucratic opponents optimistically work 40 hours a week. That is why they are losing so fast," the Tesla boss said in a post on X.

"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," he wrote in another post on X with a laughing emoji.

Musk's comments on the working hours came after two of Indian businessmen were vehemently criticised for advocating long hours of work in a week. L&T chairman S N Subrahmanyan and Infosys founder Narayana Murthy had earlier suggested a 90-hour work week and 70-hour work week, respectively.

Earlier, Subrahmanyan had sparked an online outrage with his comments advocating a 90-hour work week and suggesting that employees should even give up Sundays.

"How long can you stare at your wife," he is heard saying in a purported video address to employees where he urged them to spend less time at home and more in the office.

His remarks reignited the work-life balance debate, first triggered by Infosys Co-Founder Narayana Murthy's suggestion of a 70-hour work week.

"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," Subrahmanyan is heard saying in an undated video circulating on social media.

Murthy's advice to youngsters to work 70 hours a week had also caused a stir, following which he had said that these are issues that need to be introspected on, and not debated.

(With PTI inputs)