Ever find yourself wrapping up at 5 and thinking you haven't exactly moved mountains? Elon Musk would probably tell you straight: you're putting in the bare minimum.

Back in 2018, he dropped this on X: "Plenty of companies offer better work-life balance, sure. But transforming the world? That doesn't happen when you're clocking 40 hours."

It's a provocative take that splits the room—burnout culture critics on one side, obsessive builders on the other. But here's the thing: whether you buy his philosophy or not, the crypto and startup worlds are packed with people operating on his timeline, not the traditional 9-to-5 playbook.

When you're competing globally, moving fast in bull markets, or racing to ship the next protocol upgrade, those extra hours aren't just noise. They're often the gap between first-mover advantage and getting left behind.

The real question isn't whether Musk is right—it's whether *your* ambitions match the effort you're actually putting in. That's the equation worth examining.