Elon Musk has opened up in an interview with the New York Times,
"This past year has been the most difficult and painful year of my career... It was excruciating," he told the newspaper.
It comes after a tweet where he, without warning, declared he wanted to move his company Tesla from a publically traded company to a private one. It's led to a federal investigation.
The tweet stated he was considering the move and shares would be US$420 each - something people questioned was a nod to a euphemism for marijuana. He also said the funding was secure, which later turned out to be false.
"It seemed like better karma at $420 than at $419... But I was not on weed, to be clear. Weed is not helpful for productivity," Mr Musk told the New York Times.
"There's a reason for the word 'stoned.' You just sit there like a stone on weed."
Tesla has since been served with a subpoena by the Securities and Exchange Commission. Usually this kind of action means an inquiry has moved to a serious and formal stage of investigation.
The funding that was allegedly secured was said to be a potential investment from Saudi Arabia's government fund, but no cash has been committed as of yet.
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Confirming the stress he has been under, Mr Musk said his work has caused him to nearly miss his brother's wedding and that the workload was also wearing him down physically.
"There were times when I didn't leave the factory for three or four days - days when I didn't go outside...This has really come at the expense of seeing my kids. And seeing friends."
This latest incident follows a string of possible exhaustion-related flare-ups, including him calling one of the Thai cave diver rescuers a "pedo guy" and confirming he used Ambien to help him sleep.
According to the New York Times, people close to the issue say a search for another exec has been on-going for years.
However, Mr Musk denied that the board of Tesla is recruiting and said he had no plans of leaving his dual role of chairman and chief executive.
Newshub.
