Elon Musk has doubled down on his disdain for remote work.
According to a new email sent to Tesla staff, the CEO told workers that “remote work is no longer acceptable” and that they must be in the firm’s main office a minimum of 40 hours per week or “depart” the company.
However, Musk added that he would be willing to consider remote work requests under “exceptional” circumstances.
“If there are particularly exceptional contributors for whom this is impossible, I will review and approve those exceptions directly,” Musk wrote.
Musk continued about the importance of in-office work in a follow-up email, stating that his nearly living in the company’s factory was the reason for its survival.
“The more senior you are, the more visible must be your presence,” Musk wrote. “There are of course companies that don’t require this, but when was the last time they shipped a great new product? It’s been a while.”
He added that if employees do not show up to the office, it will be assumed that they have quit.
Although currently on hold, Musk is also in the process of purchasing Twitter, which has been a long proponent of remote work arrangements. If the deal follows through, it is untelling how workplace arrangements at social media company will be changed.
