You can be on Entrepreneur’s cover!

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

entrepreneur daily

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.

Side Hustle

This Dad Started a Side Hustle to Save for His Daughter's College Fund — Then It Earned $1 Million and Caught Apple's Attention

In 2015, Greg Kerr, now owner of Alchemy Merch, was working as musician when he noticed a lucrative opportunity.

Business News

This One Word Is a Giveaway That You Used ChatGPT to Write an Email, According to an Expert

"Delve" has increased its presence in written work since ChatGPT entered the scene.

Business News

Yes, You Can Buy a Foldable Tiny Home on Amazon — And Now It's Selling for Less Than $12,000

The waterproof and flameproof house was listed around $35,000 a few months ago.

Side Hustle

This Insurance Agent Started a Side Hustle Inspired By Nostalgia for His Home State — Now It Earns Nearly $40,000 a Month

After moving to New York City, Danny Trejo started a business to stay in touch with his roots — literally.

Business Ideas

63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.

Starting a Business

4 Common Mistakes That Will Spell Doom Your Ecommerce Business

It's hard to spot a success story before it happens, yet it's easy to tell if a business will struggle. With that in mind, here are the four most common mistakes people make that you should avoid when starting an ecommerce business.