Elon Musk asks all Tesla employees to come back to the office or quit

Elon Musk has requested that all Tesla employees stop remote work and come back to the office for 40+ hours per week or they will be let go.

Like every other company, Tesla has allowed remote work for every role where it is possible since the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020.

As the pandemic subsides, those companies have been reevaluating their remote working policies. Many of them have come to the conclusion that workers are just as if not more productive when remote working and have decided to allow workers to continue to work remotely. Others have been incentivizing employees to come back to the office.

Now it’s Tesla’s turn, and the company definitely falls under the latter category though perhaps “incentives” isn’t the right word in this case.

CEO Elon Musk sent a series of emails yesterday that basically requests employees come back to the office or be terminated:

Anyone who wishes to do remote work must be in the office for a minimum (and I mean *minimum*) of 40 hours per week or depart Tesla. This is less than we ask of factory workers.

The CEO added that there might be some exceptions, but he will review and approve those himself, which is a good way to incentivize people not to ask for exceptions.

In a follow-up email, Musk reminded employees that he set the example by sleeping in the factory:

The more senior you are, the more visible must be your presence. That is why I lived in the factory so much – so that those on the line could see me working alongside them. If I had not done that, Tesla would long ago have gone bankrupt.

Finally, the CEO took a dig at the companies who still allow remote work:

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.

Here are the emails in full:

First email:

Subject: Remote work is no longer acceptble

Anyone who wishes to do remote work must be in the office for a minimum (and I mean *minimum*) of 40 hours per week or depart Tesla. This is less than we ask of factory workers.

If there are particularly exceptional contributors for whom this is impossible, I will review and approve those exceptions directly.

Moreover, the “office” must be a main Tesla office, not a remote branch office unrelated to the job duties, for example being responsible for Fremont factory human relations, but having your office be in another state.

Thanks,
Elon

Second email:

Subject: To be super clear

Everyone at Tesla is required to spend a minimum of 40 hours in the office per week. Moreover, the office must be where your actual colleagues are located, not some remote pseudo office. If you don’t show up, we will assume you have resigned.

The more senior you are, the more visible must be your presence. That is why I lived in the factory so much – so that those on the line could see me working alongside them. If I had not done that, Tesla would long ago have gone bankrupt.

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.

Tesla has and will create and actually manufacture the most exciting and meaningful products of any company on Earth. This will not happen by phoning it in.

Thanks,
Elon