Elon Musk criticized for saying ‘nobody ever changed the world on 40 hours a week’

Entrepreneur Elon Musk is known for his very long working hours, and that’s what he claimed saying that nobody ever changed the world by working 40 hours a week. However, his comment soon attracted a lot of negative criticism.

In a recent series of tweets, billionaire Elon Musk advertised his companies, SpaceX, Tesla, The Boring Company, and Neuralink, urging people to apply at these firms, and also stating that there are ‘easier places to work, but nobody ever changed the world on 40 hours a week’.

However, he also tweeted saying if one loves what they do, it mainly doesn't feel like work.

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There are way easier places to work, but nobody ever changed the world on 40 hours a week

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 26, 2018

But if you love what you do, it (mostly) doesn’t feel like work

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 27, 2018

However, not everyone loved Musk’s comments and started criticizing him some stating that changing the world is not only about technology. People were quick to mention that changing the world has little to do with number of hours one works.

I teach middle school. And I change the world everyday.

— faux tyler (@tylerjey) November 27, 2018

Sometimes changing the world is not about tech; it's just something as simple as everybody going home to their children in time for tea.

— Jon Ayre (@EnterprisingA) November 27, 2018

Lack of sleep and recharge times lowers performance. Smart people get a lot done in less time. Changing the world is not in hours, it is in impact. This is a ridiculous comment.

— Patty B. Lamprinakos (@PBLamp) November 27, 2018

This rhetoric makes me ashamed to be a Tesla owner. The 40 hour work work DID change the world. You should be aiming to do better, not reverse it. You’re claiming to be a pioneer in automation. The entire point of that is to reduce the necessity for human toil. Be better.

— Moshne (@Moshne) November 27, 2018

Someone once made a crucial physics discovery by having a bath

— Janina Matthewson (@J9andIf) November 27, 2018

The people who fought for (including those who died) the 40 hour work week changed the world. It helped ensure corporate shills like you don't exploit people's work like you'd wish to. The labor movement is bigger than whatever self-serving agenda you're trying to achieve, buddy.

— Diana Hussein (@heyadiana) November 27, 2018

If one works 80 hours a week, meaning 40 hours of overtime, for four weeks, then that would be 160 hours of overtime. This woman in Japan died of overwork after logging 159 hours of OT in one month. https://t.co/kvIka1iiKl

— Jana Monji: The Dragon Lady 🐉 from Pasadena (@janamonji) November 27, 2018