Elon Musk is one of those figures who cannot be ignored. Many see him as a visionary who transforms entire areas of the economy, yet he also has a contentious reputation. For example, the tech mogul has recently made the news for advocating for HIB visas while his far-right MAGA compatriots have clearly voiced their disapproval of immigrants flooding the country. At the same time, Musk has advocated for defunding the Department of Education which could probably hamper homegrown talent in the US. But have you ever thought about how it feels to deal directly with the billionaire? Well, it wouldn’t be a great experience if you were his employee, Joe Rogan revealed in his podcast.

On JRE #2246 with James Fox, the UFC commentator and UFO investigator, and the documentary filmmaker talked about how SpaceX has been revolutionizing the space game through great innovations such as their recent rocket ‘Starship’ that can perfectly land on Earth. However, such innovations do not come without a price. And according to James Fox, the price for the employees of Elon Musk is to completely give away their personal lives.

Fox then narrated the story of his neighbor, who earlier worked for Tesla but decided to quit because Elon Musk wanted him to visit his office while his neighbor’s wife was delivering a baby in the hospital. He said, “Elon’s like, ‘I need you in the office’. You know, the guy’s got an incredible work ethic, but it was too much. He goes, ‘I’m at the hospital’. Elon’s like, ‘I don’t care where you’re at, get your a** to work’. It’s, like, pretty brutal.”

To this, Joe Rogan revealed that while working for Elon Musk is good for young single men, it can be a nightmare for the ones who are married and live with their families. But why? Well, that’s because Elon Musk himself worked 16 hours a day and slept in his office, and expects the same work ethic from his employees. “Well, he demands that out of other people too. And, you know, maybe you want that, maybe you don’t. If you don’t, you can’t work there. It’s just that simple. Like, if you want that, hop on in. If you’re a single guy and you don’t have a wife, and you don’t have children—yeah. But if you do? Oh boy, that’s not a life for me.” It is also worth noting that Elon Musk has also removed all remote work options from his company.

Well, from the words of Joe Rogan and James Fox on the podcast, Elon Musk’s reputation as a serious businessman precedes him. After all, you cannot be the richest man in the world with a net worth of $447 billion while also being the best boss in the world. And what about compensation? Are the employees who are compromising on their physical and mental health for their boss getting the best pay in the industry? Well, the reality is a lot different than what many optimists would like to believe about Elon Musk.

Elon Musk is underpaying his staff members when it comes to salaries

Business Insider leaked an internal database of Tesla salaries, documents covering almost 100,000 employees as of December 2021, and everyone is surprised that the leading company in the EV sector (so they need the best of the best when it comes to employees) pays well below the average than that of its competitors. The base salary for these positions, which include engineering directors and managers who work at Tesla’s service centers fixing vehicles, ranges from about $35,000 to $324,000, according to the data.

While not completely unreasonable, reports suggest that Tesla’s competition pays more. So the question arises: why do people want to work for the company? Tesla has a strategy that works very well and it manages to attract the job profiles necessary to lead this sector. This is because the base salary is the highest, but as compensation, employees receive attractive stock packages to incentivize their employees. Tesla offers up to three types of stock: restricted stock units (RSU), non-qualified stock options, and stock incentive options (ISO).

Although this may not be the best way to have a stable personal economy, the truth is that in times like the one Tesla is experiencing, it is very profitable for the employee, in the long run at least. As for the company, by giving shares to the workers, it is encouraging them to keep the company’s best interests in mind, since their own benefit is involved. This would perhaps ensure retention of employees and long-term growth for all parties involved.

Regardless, what do you think of the cut-throat nature of Elon Musk as an employer and businessman? Do you think he is justified in his stance as an employer who demands 100% commitment for his workers? Let us know in the comments down below.