Elon Musk is the world’s richest man, and he’s been pushing his employees to work up to 120 hours a week. This association between incessant work and entrepreneurial success is pervasive in American business culture today. The billionaire boasts of working harder than anyone else, believing it gives him a “superpower” that justifies his dominance over others.
The roots of this philosophy can be found in the Austrian-born economist Joseph Schumpeter, who popularized the idea that entrepreneurs possess special traits that set them apart from others. In an era where over 70 percent of Americans worry about job availability, the rich have turned work into a status symbol, flaunting their constant labor while others struggle to find good jobs.
Musk’s application of this ideology is evident in his recent overhaul of Twitter, firing half its employees and imposing an “extremely hard-core” management style on those who remained. Now, he’s applying this same playbook to the federal government, seeking to replace career officials with machine learning algorithms.
Critics argue that working 120 hours a week does not guarantee a good job. In fact, it often leads to sloppy mistakes and burnout. Despite his claims of productivity, Musk has made Twitter worse, profited from its decline, and prioritized his ego over the well-being of others.
The United States feels increasingly like a country ruled by two petulant kings, with the government being run more like a business than a democracy. As Peter Thiel once observed, “A start-up is basically structured as a monarchy,” where leaders prioritize their own interests over the needs of ordinary people.
As America grapples with the consequences of automation and AI, it’s crucial to recognize that productivity isn’t always the best metric for success. It’s time to rethink our obsession with endless work and consider a more equitable and sustainable approach to governance.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/27/opinion/elon-musk-billionaire.html