Join our Waitlist for Expert Advice!

Elon Musk Would 'Turn Red' With Anger if Employees Left Before 9 p.m., According to New BBC Documentary The BBC released the first episode of its three-part documentary "The Elon Musk Show," featuring interviews with a former Musk employee.

By Gabrielle Bienasz

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Elon Musk is known for his punishing work schedule and aggressive management style. And according to an employee at his first company, it looks like some things never change.

The BBC is releasing a three-episode documentary series called "The Elon Musk Show" focusing on the life and times of the world's richest man, including interviews with a former employee who alleges that Musk would turn spitting mad if he saw employees not working until 9 p.m.

Musk often walked through the office, "looking to see who was sitting at their cubes, and there weren't many people sitting at their cubes – it was 9 p.m," said Jim Ambras, who served as vice president of Zip2, Musk's first company, per Insider.

"And his face turned red, he was really angry," the employee added.

The BBC says the documentary focuses on big moments in his business career as well as features interviews with friends and family. Unfortunately for U.S. viewers, the documentary is not available for viewing outside the UK due to rights issues, the BBC said.

Episode one starts with his first big business break: Zip2.

The company was an early, online Yellowpages of sorts. With it, consumers could use the internet to find local businesses on a map (before that was a thing people did).

Elon and his brother Kimbal built Zip2 with famously scrappy habits, like sleeping in the office and subsisting on food from chain Jack in the Box. They sold the company in 1999 to Compaq for $307 million.

Elon poured that money into what later became PayPal, of which he was a co-founder, and the rest is super-rich history.

Gabrielle Bienasz is a staff writer at Entrepreneur. She previously worked at Insider and Inc. Magazine. 

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Business News

You Have One Month Left to Buy a House, According to Barbara Corcoran. Here's Why.

"If you are planning on waiting a year and seeing where interest rates go, you are out of your mind," Corcoran said.

Thought Leaders

These 3 Trends Will Change What It Means to Be an Entrepreneur in 2025

Here are three entrepreneurship trends from the new Global Entrepreneurship Monitor report that are changing the landscape for the future.

Data & Recovery

Train Your Company to Avoid Costly Data Breaches With This $30 Bundle

Train in the eight domains of CISSP and protect your business from growing cyber threats.

Business News

These 3 Side Hustles Make the Most Money While Working Fewer Hours, According to a New Survey

The survey also found that having a side hustle doubled as a path to becoming more employable.

Side Hustle

I Made $14,000 in 1 Week With a Spontaneous Halloween Costume Side Hustle — Here's How

Sabba Keynejad was in art school when he started to refine his entrepreneurial skills.

Franchise

The McRib Is Back, But Only at Select McDonald's — Here's Where to Find It

This scarcity is nothing new. In 2022, McDonald's announced a "Farewell Tour" for the McRib, suggesting that it might be the last time customers could get their hands on it.