In a recent interview with CNBC, Elon Musk expressed his disdain for the concept of working from home, going so far as to deem it a 'moral issue.' The Tesla and SpaceX CEO stated that individuals in Silicon Valley should abandon their moral high horse regarding remote work.
According to Musk, since service workers such as food delivery personnel, cab drivers, and healthcare professionals cannot work from home, nobody should have the privilege to do so.
Musk's remarks on Work from Home
During the CNBC interview, Musk said, "Silicon Valley 'laptop classes' need to get off their 'moral high horse' with their work-from-home bulls***." Musk also referred to tech workers as the laptop classes living in a la-la-land.
Musk's moral argument
Musk questioned the morality of the situation, highlighting the discrepancy between individuals working from home and essential workers who cannot.
He asked, "Really, you're gonna work from home? And you're gonna make everyone else who made your car come work at the factory? The people who make your food that gets delivered, they can't work from home? The people who fix your house, they can't work from home, but you can? Does that seem morally right? It's messed up." He emphasized that his concern was not solely based on productivity but also on ethical grounds.
Implications for Twitter employees
As the new owner of Twitter since October 2022, Musk has implemented significant changes to the company's work policies. In his initial email to employees, he warned of challenging times ahead and imposed a ban on remote work unless personally approved by him.
Musk stated, "Remote work is no longer allowed, unless you have a specific exception. Managers will send the exception lists to me for review and approval." He also mandated that Twitter employees work from the office for a minimum of 40 hours per week.
Transition from Twitter's 'Work-from-Anywhere' policy
Before Musk assumed his new role, Twitter had adopted a 'work-from-anywhere' policy for its employees. However, this changed when Musk took charge, as he opposed the idea of working from home and enforced a more rigid in-office work structure.
