A former X employee has shared a rare insight into Elon Musk’s exceptionally demanding daily schedule, offering a closer look at how the billionaire CEO balances leadership across multiple companies with minimal rest.

Ex-employee describes Musk’s late-night workflow

Chris Bakke, who worked directly with Musk for over two years, responded to a viral post on social media that criticised Musk’s work ethic. In his reply, Bakke defended the tech mogul and revealed details of Musk’s relentless routine.

According to Bakke, Musk would typically begin his day at Tesla, spending nearly 10 hours working with engineers and teams. His involvement with X would begin only in the evening, with product meetings usually held around 5 or 6 pm.

Bakke added that his one-on-one check-ins with Musk were often scheduled for 10 pm, but they were regularly delayed to 11 pm, midnight, or even 1 am, depending on Musk’s workload.

“Nap at 2 am and repeat”: How Musk manages multiple companies

Bakke said that around 2 am, Musk would take a short nap in the office before restarting the same routine the next day, often across different companies such as Tesla, SpaceX, and X.

He described Musk’s schedule as a near non-stop cycle that reportedly continued seven days a week. “Usually around 2 am, he’d go take a nap for a couple of hours in the office and then repeat the same schedule again the next day,” Bakke wrote.

Musk’s long-hours philosophy

Elon Musk’s extreme work habits have long been a topic of discussion. He has repeatedly argued that extended work hours lead to greater output.

During a 2014 commencement speech at the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business, Musk famously said, “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.”

His comments resurfaced earlier this year when global debate intensified around long workweeks. The discussion began when Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy suggested that young professionals should work 70 hours a week. This was followed by L&T chairman SN Subrahmanyan’s proposal of a 90-hour workweek.

Musk escalated the conversation further, suggesting a 120-hour workweek. He claimed that at DOGE, employees reportedly work 17-hour days, seven days a week, or even 24-hour shifts for up to five consecutive days.

Debate on work culture continues

The revelations by Bakke have reignited conversations around Musk’s leadership style and the culture within his companies. Supporters argue that Musk’s demanding schedule reflects his commitment to innovation, while critics believe such expectations create unrealistic and unhealthy work environments.

As the discussion grows globally, Musk’s routine continues to symbolise both extreme dedication and the ongoing controversy around modern work-life balance.