Now, he's reportedly making them explain why they should be given their stock options.
In an email sent to staff, reported by The Verge , Musk reportedly said that the company would reward stock options based on employee impact and that workers would need to submit a one-page summary of their contributions to X to get them.
One source also told The Verge that employees were still waiting for their annual equity refresher, which was expected in April.
It comes nearly two years after Musk gave staff at the company a famous ultimatum .
In a late-night email, the billionaire told employees they would need to work "long hours at a high intensity" and be "extremely hardcore" and that those unwilling to do so should quit.
Former Uber and Skype engineer Gergely Orosz described X as "the definition of a ruthless workplace" in a post on the site .
"Push people working there to the max with expectations above most (all?) other tech companies… but STILL make these people prove they deserve market comp. Just wow," he wrote in response to The Verge's report.
X did not respond to a request for comment, sent outside normal working hours.
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