Elon Musk reignites the remote work debate with his old viral email banning telecommuting.

Elon Musk, the founder of Tesla, forwarded a post from a user that contained screenshots of his emails, in which he dismissed the idea of remote work at the company. In one of the emails, addressed to executive staff and dated May 31, 2022, Musk stated that "remote work is no longer acceptable." He stipulated that employees must attend the office for at least 40 hours a week in order to access work-from-home privileges. Furthermore, he mentioned that the minimum hours of in-office work for technology employees are less than what is required for factory workers, and warned that employees must be present at headquarters, not at secondary locations.

In another email addressed to executives, Musk clarified that if someone did not show up at the office, it would be considered a voluntary resignation. Reminding them of how many hours he dedicates to work at the Tesla factory, he asserted that if he hadn’t done this, the company would have gone bankrupt much earlier. In his previous statement, Musk also mentioned that exceptions would be made for "particularly exceptional contributors," but that this would be evaluated carefully.

Musk has maintained a firm stance against remote work and has even transferred this work culture to Twitter, now known as X. In an interview with CNBC in 2023, he expressed that he was convinced that people are more productive when working in person, criticizing the work-from-home culture.

However, opinions online are divided. Many internet users noted that there is no conclusive evidence that remote work is detrimental to productivity. Some argued that success in a company is more related to the management of organizational culture than to the workplace itself. Others questioned the idea that physical presence fosters productivity, suggesting that open office design could be counterproductive.

Some voices on social media mentioned that work and family should be compatible and that companies should provide greater support for working parents. There were also those who shared analysis results showing that, in data-centric roles, remote employees often outperform their office-based colleagues.

The debate surrounding remote work remains open, with many believing that the key to success lies in proper communication and management, regardless of the work environment.