Elon Musk opens up about the personal toll Tesla is taking on him

Tesla and its CEO Elon Musk has been under a whole lot of under pressure lately, with production roadblocks, workplace issues, and a much-criticized tweet about taking the company private.

It’s all taking quite the personal toll on Musk, he revealed in an emotional interview with the New York Times on Thursday.

The founder of the electric car manufacturer, who oversees other ambitious companies like SpaceX and The Boring Company, spoke of the deterioration in his physical health and the overwork which nearly caused him to miss his brother’s wedding.

“This past year has been the most difficult and painful year of my career,” he told the newspaper. “It was excruciating.”

Tesla posted a $520 million loss last quarter, and the company is pushing to ramp up its Model 3 production to 10,000 cars per week by the end of the year. 

The company reached a 5,000 car milestone last month, and the company expects to hit 6,000 by the end of August.

To reach those goals, Musk told the NYT he’d recently been working up to 120 hours a week, and the report noted he “alternated between tears and laughter,” in the interview.

“There were times when I didn’t leave the factory for three or four days — days when I didn’t go outside,” he said. “This has really come at the expense of seeing my kids. And seeing friends.”

Musk spent the full 24 hours of his 47th birthday at work, “all night — no friends, nothing.” Two days later, he was scheduled to be the best man at his brother’s wedding in Catalonia, where he managed to arrive only two hours before the ceremony.

Following the wedding, he flew straight back to Tesla headquarters, and told the newspaper that he thought the worst was over when it came to Tesla’s production headaches, but from a “personal pain standpoint, the worst is yet to come.”

He blamed investors who are betting on the decline of Tesla’s value as the cause of much of his stress, accusing them of “desperately pushing a narrative that will possibly result in Tesla’s destruction.”

On the tweet where Musk said he was considering taking Tesla private, which is now being investigated by the SEC, he said it was an attempt at transparency. Musk said he didn’t receive complaints from Tesla’s board regarding it.

Furthermore, the price of $420 a share was the result of a rounding up, and Musk made it clear that “he was not on weed.”

“Weed is not helpful for productivity. There’s a reason for the word ‘stoned.’ You just sit there like a stone on weed,” he added. 

On Monday, Musk defended his intention to take Tesla private. The statement also revealed Saudi Arabia is providing the funding to allow him to do so.

“The only way I could have meaningful discussions with our largest shareholders was to be completely forthcoming with them about my desire to take the company private,” read his statement.

“As a result, it was clear to me that the right thing to do was announce my intentions publicly. To be clear, when I made the public announcement, just as with this blog post and all other discussions I have had on this topic, I am speaking for myself as a potential bidder for Tesla.”

“They can have the job. Is there someone who can do the job better? They can have the reins right now.”

When he’s not working, Musk told the newspaper that he takes the sedative Ambien to help him sleep. 

The interview claims Tesla board members are worried the drug does not help him sleep, but results in him spending all night on Twitter. They have reportedly been trying to find a second-in-charge for Musk, which will allow him to delegate some of his duties.

Musk said while he’s committed to being Tesla’s chairman and CEO, he asked the interviewers if they have anyone that could do a better job to “please let me know.” 

“They can have the job. Is there someone who can do the job better? They can have the reins right now,” he said.