Musk outburst raises drug ‘concerns’ for Tesla chiefs

Entrepreneur reveals he uses Ambien to sleep in interview that sends company shares crashing

TESLA executives have expressed concern at Elon Musk’s use of the sleeping pill Ambien, reportedly suggesting it could account for his erratic tweeting and strange behaviour. Mr Musk has delighted in his reputation as one of Silicon Valley’s brashest entrepreneurs but in a tearful interview with the New York Times that led to company shares dropping by as much as eight per cent at one point yesterday, he said exhaustion was taking its toll. “It’s not been great, actually,” he said. “I’ve had friends come by who are really concerned.”

Mr Musk, 47, said that he is suffering the effects of dealing with production deadlines for his Tesla car and the fallout from a federal investigation. “It was excruciating,” he said, of the past 12 months, in which he berated analysts for asking “boneheaded” questions at an earnings conference call, and accused a British diver who helped rescue a Thai football team trapped underground of being a paedophile.

Last week he published a tweet claiming he had secured funding to take Tesla private, sparking a rollercoaster ride for shareholders that is now under investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission. Company insiders told the paper that Mr Musk’s use of the drug was causing concern. He said he was working a 120hour week to reach the company’s production targets, and admitted: “It is often a choice of no sleep or Ambien.”

Mr Musk has previously raised eyebrows with his praise for the sleeping pills. In June last year he tweeted: “A little red wine, vintage record, some Ambien ... and magic!”

Yet in Nov 2016, he acknowledged that “tweeting on Ambien isn’t wise.”

Roseanne Barr, the comedienne who was fired after tweeting racist tropes, blamed her own Twitter rant earlier this year on Ambien.

Mr Musk also used the interview to explain his tweet about taking his company private, claiming he fired off the message on his way to the airport and it was based on offering shareholders a 20 per cent premium, which would have made the figure $419.

“It seemed like better karma at $420 than at $419,” he said. Commentators pointed out that 420 is used as code for marijuana. “But I was not on weed. Weed is not helpful for productivity.”

The New York Times reported that Tesla executives had launched a search for a deputy to ease the burden on its South African-born founder.

Mr Musk’s interview came days after the rapper Azealia Banks posted a series of messages, accusing him of being “too stupid to know not to go on Twitter while on acid”.

Tesla provided a statement that it attributed to its board, excluding Mr Musk, saying: “We would like to make clear that Elon’s commitment and dedication to Tesla is obvious.”