Elon Musk claims he works 120 hours per week and has called for his employees at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to do the same as they fan out across the federal government. His team, which appears to rely heavily on enthusiastic young men, may share his conviction that long hours are always better. Musk has gone even further than late nights: He recently claimed he was sleeping at DOGE headquarters in Washington, D.C., a habit he may have picked up from his days at Tesla.
There’s just one problem: Musk and his team are wrong. The idea that working extremely long hours leads to increased productivity and positive results is not only outdated, but unfounded. Instead, research clearly shows that working long hours doesn’t make you a better employee. In fact, it can lead employees to struggle or even make catastrophic mistakes. This is concerning no matter what job you’re doing, but it may be of special concern for the Musk team handling sensitive data systems that touch the lives and livelihoods of millions of Americans.
Research has shown the damaging effects of this grind ethos on the physical and emotional well-being of employees.
Lambert here: That, and the ketamine.
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