Elon Musk: If you’re starting a company, you need to work super hard

In this clip from his 2014 USC commencement speech, Elon tells the audience:

“Depending on how well you want to do—particularly if you’re starting a company—you need to work super hard.”

What does “super hard” mean?

“When my brother and I were starting our first company, instead of getting an apartment we just rented a small office and slept on the couch. We showered at the YMCA. And we had just one computer so the website was up during the day and I was coding at night—seven days a week, all the time.”

And the way he thinks about it is as follows:

“If somebody else is working 50 hours a week and you’re working 100, you’ll get twice as much done in the course of the year as the other company.”

Full video: USC “Elon Musk USC Commencement Speech | USC Marshall School of Business Undergraduate Commencement 2014” (May 2014)

P.S. We’ve put together a YouTube playlist with every Elon Musk insight we’ve ever shared. You can watch it here: "Best startup advice from Elon Musk"