'Detached From Reality': Elon Musk Goes on Unprovoked Rant About Remote Work During Tesla Earnings Call Tesla was down 37% from the same time last year.
By Emily Rella
Opinions expressed by BIZ Experiences contributors are their own.
Elon Musk hates the concept of remote working — and he hasn't been shy about letting everyone know.
During Tesla's Q3 2023 Earnings Call on Wednesday, Musk sounded off on remote workers, saying they are "detached from reality" and "take advantage" of workers who are in office and Tesla factories.
"This is like some real Marie Antoinette vibes from people who say why is there no work from home. Like what about all the people that have to come to the factory and fill the cars or all people that have to go to the restaurant and make your food and deliver your food," Musk said during the call. "Why did I sleep in the factory so many times? Because it mattered."
Related: Elon Musk Says Remote Work Is 'Morally Wrong,' Calls It 'Messed Up'
Musk's comments seemed unprovoked — and pivoted from the call's discussion about the price elasticity of Tesla cars, particularly the Model Y.
Tesla is coming off a relatively rough quarter as the electric car company was down 37% from the same period last year, its lowest quarterly profit in two years.
Tesla leadership attributed Q3 expectation misses to vehicle price cuts in an attempt to increase demand and foster competition but noted a "lag" in cost reductions that affected overall margins.
This was not the first time Musk voiced his disdain at working from home.
Related: Elon Musk Brutally Tells Tesla Executives They Must Return to Offices 'Or Depart Tesla'
Last year, Musk sent an email to Tesla employees telling them to work a minimum of 40 hours a week in the office or "depart Tesla."
In May, he called remote work "morally wrong" during an interview with CNBC and got heated, claiming it's "not a productivity thing," cursing at those who believe it's an effective way to work.
"People should get off the goddamn moral high horse with the work-from-home bulls----," Musk said at the time.
Tesla was down over 8.3% in a 24-hour period following its Q3 earnings report.
