Additional Coverage:
- Elon Musk takes the return to office to new extremes—he claims he’s turned DOGE’s DC headquarters into his bedroom (newsbreak.com)
Local reports suggest Elon Musk is saying he’s sleeping at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) office. He leads this newly formed government branch, which is already facing lawsuits.
Musk also reportedly claims he’s been invited to sleep in the White House’s Lincoln Bedroom. These claims are unconfirmed.
This isn’t new behavior for Musk. In 2018, he claimed to be sleeping on Tesla factory floors.
He’s also reportedly told Tesla employees they’d need to sleep at work to meet production goals. Musk has referred to Tesla factories as his “primary residences,” suggesting it sets an example for employees.
However, Tesla has faced lawsuits alleging a toxic work environment, including racial discrimination and sexual harassment.
Musk’s leadership at DOGE seems to be bringing a similar hard line to federal workers. An email reportedly told employees they must accept an eight-month buyout or return to the office five days a week by February 6th.
This mandate isn’t Congressionally authorized. The email’s title, “Fork in the Road,” echoes language Musk used during Twitter layoffs.
He has previously criticized federal employees working remotely. A former Tesla executive is suing the company, claiming he was unprepared for the return-to-office policy.
Sleeping at the office isn’t unique to Musk. The CEO of Renaissance Technologies claims to have slept in his office almost 2,000 times.
Former PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi reportedly slept only four hours a night. Bill Gates has spoken about a competitive culture of sleep deprivation among executives.
He now recognizes the importance of sleep for brain health. Melinda French Gates has called this executive trend “dumb.”