NUSA DUA, Indonesia, Nov 14 (Reuters) – Billionaire Elon Musk said on Monday he was “doing his best every day … from early on,” when asked about his recent acquisition of Twitter and his leadership. late, seven days a week,” or automaker Tesla Inc (TSLA.O).
“I’ve definitely got too much work,” Musk said in a video link from a business meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Bali.
Musk is the CEO of both companies and also runs rocket company SpaceX, brain chip startup Neuralink and tunneling company The Boring Company. Wearing a batik shirt given to him by the organizers, he appeared on a candle-lit screen, explaining that he was speaking in a place that had just lost power.
Tesla investors fear that Musk, a self-described “nano manager” who is personally involved in work-level decisions ranging from vehicle styling to supply chain issues, is distracted at a critical moment for the world’s largest electric carmaker.
Since Tesla revealed in early April that he had taken a stake in Twitter, its shares have halved. His Tesla stock sales, including an additional $4 billion last week that brought his Twitter-related sales to $20 billion, added to the pressure.
Asked about the complexities of “decoupling” industrial supply chains from China and the risk of a Russian invasion of Ukraine, Musk got back to his own hustle.
Responding to an observation that many Asian business leaders want to be the “Elon Musk of the East,” Musk said: “I’ll be careful what you wish for. I’m not sure how many really want to be me. They wanted to be who they imagined me to be, which was different than actually being me. Frankly, I tortured myself to a higher level.
Musk also said he would like to see Twitter support more videos and longer formats so content creators can make a living on the platform, without providing details. His remarks were broadcast live on Alphabet Inc’s (GOOGL.O) YouTube.
Indonesia has been trying to reach an agreement with Tesla on battery investment and a possible deal with SpaceX to develop a rocket launch site.
Musk didn’t commit to any of them, but said Indonesia could play an important role in the electric vehicle supply chain and that it would make sense “long term” for SpaceX to have multiple launch sites around the world.
It was not immediately clear where Musk was during the Bali event. According to @ElonJet, a Twitter account that tracks Musk’s Gulfstream G650, his private jet has remained at Tesla’s headquarters in Austin, Texas, since the weekend.
“I was just watching this video and it was so weird,” Musk said. “I sat in the dark, surrounded by candles.”
Musk added that he believes the economy will transition to sustainable energy, adding that it’s “just a matter of how long.” He said space exploration should remain a priority “so we can understand the nature of the universe and our place in it.”
“Maybe we’ll find alien civilizations or discover civilizations that existed millions of years ago, but we’re seeing ruins of ancient civilizations. I think it’s going to be very interesting,” he said.
Reporting by Leika Kihara; Writing by Kevin Krolicki; Editing by Edwina Gibbs
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