Friday 13 May 2022 09:20 AM Elon Musk blasts Americans' work ethic and praises Chinese staff who 'burn the ... trends now
Elon Musk has blasted America's poor work ethic and praised toiling Chinese staff who stay at the factory 'burning the 3am oil'.
The Tesla CEO, who once slept on his Fremont factory floor during production of the company's Model 3 car, said Americans are 'trying to avoid going to work at all' compared to their Chinese counterparts.
Speaking in an interview with the Financial Times, he said: 'I think there will be some very strong companies coming out of China.
'There's just a lot of super talented and hardworking people in China that strongly believe in manufacturing.
'And they won't just be burning the midnight oil. They'll be burning the 3am oil. So they won't even leave the factory type of thing.
'Whereas in America, people are trying to avoid going to work at all.'
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Elon Musk has blasted America's poor work ethic and praised toiling Chinese staff who stay at the factory 'burning the 3am oil' (pictured during the Financial Times interview)
The Tesla CEO said Chinese workers 'strongly believe in manufacturing' as he praised their industry
Last month, staff at Tesla's Shanghai Gigafactory were made to sleep at work when production resumed after a three-week shutdown, according to Bloomberg.
The factory started operating as a 'closed-loop system to avoid further shutdowns caused by China's draconian Zero Covid policy.
Workers were given a sleeping bag and mattress and a part of the factory floor to sleep on.
Food of around $63 a day was provided to each employee but they were expected to work 12 hours a day, with one day off every six days.
Before the temporary measures were imposed, staff reportedly worked eight-hour shifts with four days on and two days off.
Rows of Chinese workers produce bags at a textile factory in Huaibei in China's eastern Anhui province
Before Shanghai's lockdown on March 28, the Gigafactory produced 2,000 cars a day and made half of the vehicles the company delivered worldwide last year.
Last year, the world's richest man, said he sleeps only six hours each night while juggling his portfolio of multi-billion dollar businesses.
'I work a lot,' Musk told podcaster Joe Rogan.
'Normally, I'll be in meetings at work until 1 or 2 in the morning. Saturday [and] Sunday, usually not, but sometimes.
'I tried sleeping less, but then total productivity decreases,' he said.
'I don't find myself wanting more sleep than six [hours].'
Musk has developed a reputation as a workaholic. In 2018, Tesla employees told Business Insider that they would frequently see their boss asleep while curled under tables, desks, and even on the factory floor.
Last month, staff at Tesla's Shanghai Gigafactory (pictured) were made to sleep at work when production resumed after a three-week shutdown
The factory (pictured) started operating as a 'closed-loop system to avoid further shutdowns caused by China's draconian Zero Covid policy
'He's here all the time,' Miguel Carrera, a manufacturing tech lead, told Business Insider.
'I know people have seen him sleeping on the floor under a desk.
'All of a sudden, everybody's all walking out and you look around and someone is curled up under the desk, come to find out it's Elon.'
