Tesla Inc. (TSLA) CEO Elon Musk has never been subtle about his approach to work: more is more. Over the years, he's made it clear that long hours and relentless dedication aren't just helpful—they're essential. His philosophy boils down to a straightforward equation: put in more time, get more results.

Sleeping in Offices and Coding All Night

Back in 2014, Musk laid it out plainly for graduates at the University of Southern California's Marshall School of Business. "You need to work super hard," he told them.

He wasn't speaking theoretically. When he and his brother launched their first company, they slept in the office and showered at the YMCA. "We were so hard-up that we only had one computer," Musk recalled. Their setup meant the website ran during business hours while he coded through the night.

"I work hard, like every waking hour," Musk said. Then came his signature calculation: "If somebody else is working 50 hours [per week] and you're working 100, you'll get twice as much done in the course of a year as the other company." In his view, it's just "simple math."

That mentality hasn't softened over time. During Tesla's intense Model 3 production push in 2018, Musk famously slept on the factory floor to stay close to operations. Why the floor? Apparently, "the couch was too narrow."

A Trillion-Dollar Bet on Extreme Effort

Musk's work ethic is making headlines again, this time connected to his eye-popping compensation package from Tesla. Shareholders approved the deal on November 6, with over 75% voting in favor. The package could eventually be worth up to $1 trillion, but it comes with targets that would make most CEOs break into a cold sweat.

To unlock the full payout, Musk needs to hit milestones that include delivering 20 million vehicles annually, deploying 1 million robotaxis, selling 1 million Optimus humanoid robots, securing 10 million Full Self-Driving subscriptions, reaching $400 billion in EBITDA, and pushing Tesla's market cap to $8.5 trillion.

Even Musk admits it's ambitious. "It sure is a tall order," he wrote on X recently. "There will inevitably be some bumps along the way, but, with a truly immense amount of work, I think these goals can be accomplished."

He also invited regular investors to buy Tesla stock and "come along for the ride."

Inspiration or Exploitation?

Musk's relentless approach has inspired plenty of entrepreneurs and business leaders who see hustle as the price of extraordinary success. But it's also attracted sharp criticism, particularly from labor advocates.

When Musk declared in 2018 that "nobody ever changed the world on 40 hours a week," United Auto Workers Communications Specialist Diana Hussein fired back: "The people who fought for (including those who died) the 40 hour work week changed the world. It helped ensure corporate shills like you don't exploit people's work like you'd wish to."

The tension is real. Musk's philosophy celebrates grinding harder than everyone else as the path to getting ahead. Critics argue that glorifying extreme hours ignores decades of labor progress and risks normalizing burnout culture.

Whether you see Musk's approach as inspirational or problematic probably depends on where you stand on the question of what success should cost—and who pays the price.