Under pressure from X and Tesla, Elon Musk returns to high-intensity work mode

Elon Musk has announced the reinstatement of an intense "24/7" work schedule across his companies, including Tesla, SpaceX, xAI, and X. Musk's recent decision to increase his involvement comes amid growing criticism of his divided attention, especially following his prominent role in former President Donald Trump's administration. During a public forum, he remarked that he’s “had enough” of political work and no longer wishes to engage further.

As head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Musk plays a pivotal—yet controversial—role in shaping federal policies, such as advocating for massive budget cuts. He also faces significant accusations regarding the use of Grok, an AI chatbot developed by his company xAI, within DOGE. His active role in government affairs has drawn concerns from investors and the public about potential conflicts of interest and their impact on his business ventures.

Musk is also under internal pressure, with many believing his role in the current administration has been marginalized due to unmet expectations. For instance, the much-publicized claim of nearly $1 trillion in savings was later scaled down to $150 billion.

Critics argue that Musk's political activities have diverted his focus from core businesses like Tesla, X, and SpaceX, resulting in operational challenges and reputational risks. Tesla, for example, has experienced declining brand trust and sales, particularly in Europe, where Musk's political affiliations have led some customers to distance themselves from his companies.

Tesla's Q1 2025 financial results revealed a dramatic 71% drop in net income to $409 million, compared to $1.39 billion in the same period last year. Revenue for Q1 2025 fell by 9% to $19.3 billion, down from $21 billion in Q1 2024, missing Wall Street's forecast of $21.5 billion. This marks Tesla's weakest quarterly performance since 2022. Automotive revenue, derived from vehicle sales, dropped to $13.9 billion, a 20% decline from $17.4 billion the previous year. Vehicle deliveries for Q1 2025 decreased by 13% year-over-year to 336,681 units.

In response to these challenges, Musk declared his intention to adopt a round-the-clock work routine across his companies to assure stakeholders of his dedication to technological innovation and operational excellence.

"Back to 24/7 work, sleeping in conference rooms, server rooms, or factory floors. I need to be hyper-focused on X/xAI and Tesla (plus next week's Starship launch) as we have critical technologies to roll out," the billionaire posted on X.

Musk’s latest statement follows a major global outage on X (formerly Twitter). On May 24, the service was disrupted for several hours, affecting tens of thousands of users worldwide, including those in the U.S., Europe, India, and Australia. Reports from Downdetector showed over 25,800 complaints at peak, citing issues like login failures and problems sending messages. The outage stemmed from a data center malfunction, which occurred just days after a similar incident. These recurring disruptions have raised concerns about the platform's infrastructure reliability. Musk acknowledged that X’s recent issues highlight the need for significant improvements, as backup systems designed to prevent such failures proved ineffective.