> I think the fact remains there's too much non-linearity in the means of production to get where Elon is trying to go without pushing his people to the limit.
What is the basis for that? It is an easy rationalization for an issue with serious consequences.
For far too many problems the work doesn't subdivide cleanly. A single person "pulling" for 16 hours a day at a given problem achieves 2x more than two people pulling at it for 8 hours each.
Or to put it another way, when Jeff Dean pulls an all nighter and commits code at 6am before collapsing under his desk for a few moments rest, for the rest of the day, all of Google is twice as productive.
For some disciplines, yes, but it seems unlikely that factory floor work is one of those.
(Also, back when I was still pulling all-nighters, I could do 3-5 days worth of work in a night, but I'd be largely useless for the rest of the week, so it was a wash at best. Good for catching up before a deadline, but not really a strong strategy overall.)
What is the basis for that? It is an easy rationalization for an issue with serious consequences.