Working will be optional in 10-15 years: Elon Musk on work-hours debate

SpaceX and Tesla chief, Elon Musk, on Sunday predicted a future in which artificial intelligence and robotics advance so rapidly that, within the next decade or so, people may no longer need to work unless they choose to. Speaking on Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath’s podcast People by WTF, Musk said this transformation could arrive "in less than 20 years, maybe who knows even in 10 or 15 years," driven by systems capable of completing most forms of human labour.

"I think in the future, it won’t be the case that you have to be in a city for a job. My prediction is, in the future, working will be optional", Musk said.

Musk’s comments come as India is witnessing intense debate over work culture, with prominent business leaders like Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy and Larson & Toubro (L&T) CEO SN Subrahmanyan advocating 70-hour and 90-hour workweeks, respectively.

Notably, Murthy, in a recent interview, referred to China’s well-known 9-9-6 work culture to support his long-held view that young Indians should work longer hours to help India grow faster.

Against this backdrop, Musk’s prediction of work becoming optional has added a contrasting perspective on the future of productivity and employment.

During the conversation, Kamath raised questions about lifestyle choices, including whether more people would prefer living in cities or rural environments.

Musk responded that individual preference would remain central, but added that physical proximity to job locations would soon become irrelevant.

"Well, I guess it’s up to some people who want to be around a lot of people and some people don’t. It’s gonna be a matter of choice," he said. "But I think in the future, it won’t be the case that you have to be in a city for a job. My prediction is, in the future, working will be optional".

As Kamath pointed to global trends toward shorter workweeks, including trials of four-day and even three-day schedules in some Western countries. Musk joked, "Not me," evoking laughter from both.

He added that anyone trying to build a company or solve difficult problems would still need to work intensely. "I think if you are trying to make a startup succeed or a company do very difficult things, then you definitely need to put in serious hours. I think that’s how it goes," he said.

Pushing the conversation further, Kamath asked what society might look like if people worked half the week.

Musk replied that he envisioned an even more dramatic shift. "I think it'll actually be that people don’t have to work at all. It may not be that far in the future. Maybe, less than 20 years when working at all will be optional — like a hobby".

Musk further compared future work to growing vegetables at home instead of buying them. “In the same way that you can grow your own vegetables in the garden, or you could go to the store and buy vegetables. But it will be optional in that way, is my prediction.”

Musk’s vision aligns with his long-stated belief in an "Age of Abundance," in which robots carry out the most productive tasks, driving costs down and enabling people to focus on pursuits of their choosing.

Yet realising such a future, experts caution, would require equitable distribution of technological gains and major shifts in governance and economic systems.

For now, Musk’s remarks add a provocative counterpoint to the ongoing work-hours debate, suggesting that while some leaders push for longer weeks, technology may be steering the world in the opposite direction.

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