Elon Musk says recessions “serve a purpose” after Atlassian’s Scott Farquhar critiques Tesla WFH policy

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has fired back at Atlassian co-founder Scott Farquhar, claiming a recent Twitter thread disparaging Musk’s back-to-office policies was evidence “recessions serve a vital economic cleaning function”.

No stranger to the headlines in the business press, Musk made a splash this week by claiming Tesla employees must soon return to the office for “at least” 40 hours a week.

The statement cut against the hybrid working protocols maintained by many businesses after harsh COVID-19 lockdowns, and a solid employee preference for remote working flexibility.

In response to Musk’s claim, Farquhar — whose Atlassian champions a “Team Anywhere” policy — issued his own Twitter rundown, encouraging disgrunted Tesla employees to try their luck at the enterprise tech giant.

On Thursday evening, Musk responded directly to Australia’s fourth-richest individual.

“The above set of tweets illustrate why recessions serve a vital economic function,” he tweeted.

The above set of tweets illustrate why recessions serve a vital economic cleansing function

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 2, 2022

Musk’s recent Twitter musings appear to stand as tacit approval of tech giants losing staff and resources as economic and market volatility weighs on the sector.

😉

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 2, 2022

But the billionaire mud-slinging did not end there, as Farquhar issued his own roundabout retort, declaring his recession-borne company was “just getting started!”.

Hard to believe it’s been 20 years since we started Atlassian (in a recession), but we’re just getting started! 🚀 https://t.co/suAe341oJA

— Scott Farquhar (@scottfarkas) June 2, 2022