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Elon Musk has boasted that employees at his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) are working 120-hour weeks, sparking concerns about overworking and employee welfare.
The Tesla and SpaceX CEO added to the statement saying that his “bureaucratic opponents optimistically work 40 hours a week,” which he said explains their slower progress. Experts warn, however, that such extreme working hours pose serious health risks and may ultimately reduce productivity.
With only 168 hours in a week, working 120 hours would leave just 48 hours for everything else, including sleeping, eating, and commuting. Assuming those remaining hours were devoted entirely to sleep, DOGE employees would still manage just 6.8 hours of rest per night at most. Factoring in daily responsibilities, their actual rest would likely fall below this threshold.
Health risks of excessive work hours
Health organizations have repeatedly cautioned against such prolonged working hours. Medical experts say that consistently sleeping less than seven hours a night is linked to conditions such as obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and depression. The CDC has also warned that chronic sleep deprivation can significantly increase the risk of serious illness.
Research from Stanford University in 2014 further demonstrated that productivity diminishes sharply after 50 weekly working hours, with performance at 70 hours showing little difference from that at 56 hours. Meanwhile, a 2021 World Health Organization study found that working 55 hours or more per week was associated with a 35% higher risk of stroke and a 17% greater chance of dying from heart disease compared to a standard 40-hour week.
Telling Tesla tall tales?
Musk has publicly sought plaudits for his own extreme work habits. In a 2022 interview, he recounted living at Tesla’s Fremont and Nevada factories for three years, sometimes sleeping on the factory floor or in a tent on the roof.
Despite his belief that extended hours improve efficiency, evidence suggests such an approach may harm both employee well-being and overall performance. As Musk continues to juggle his roles across DOGE, Tesla, SpaceX, and xAI, questions remain about whether his “sleep at your desk” strategy will deliver tangible and sustainable results.
