Twitter CEO Elon Musk Says ‘I Have Too Much Work On My Plate’
Billionaire Elon Musk said on Monday that he was working “at full…
“I have a lot of work on my plate I’m sure,” Musk said via video link at a business conference on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Bali.
Musk is the CEO of both companies and runs rocket firm SpaceX, brain-chip startup Neuralink and tunneling firm Boring Company. Wearing a batik shirt sent by the organizers, he appeared on a candle-lit screen, explaining that he was speaking at a place that had recently lost power.
Tesla investors are concerned that Musk, a self-proclaimed “nanomanager” involved in operational-level decisions from vehicle styling to supply chain issues, has been distracted at a critical time for the world’s largest electric car maker.
Tesla’s shares have halved since early April, when it disclosed that it was taking part on Twitter. The sale of his Tesla stake, which added another $4 billion (around Rs. 32,450 crore) last week to bring his Twitter-related sales to $20 billion (around Rs. 1,62,255 crore), added pressure.
When asked about the complexities of “divisive” industrial supply chains from China and the dangers of a Russian invasion of Ukraine, Musk returned to his preoccupation.
Responding to the idea that many business leaders in Asia want to be “the Elon Musk of the East,” Musk said: “I can understand what you want. I’m not sure how many people would really like to be me. .” . They would like to be what they think I am, which is not the same as who I really am. The amount of self-harming is next level, frankly.”
Musk also said he wants to see Twitter support more videos and long-form video so content creators can make a living on the platform, but he didn’t provide details. His words were streamed live on Alphabet’s YouTube channel.
Indonesia has been trying to get a deal with Tesla for battery investment and possibly SpaceX to develop a rocket launch pad.
Musk did not commit to any of these but said Indonesia has a big role to play in the electric vehicle supply chain and that it would make sense “in the long run” for SpaceX to have more launch sites around the world.
It was unclear where Musk was during the Bali event. His plane has been in Austin, Texas, at Tesla’s headquarters since the weekend, according to @ElonJet, the Twitter account that tracks Musk’s Gulfstream G650.
“I’m watching this video and it’s weird,” Musk said. “I’m sitting here in the dark surrounded by candles.”
Musk added that he believes the economy will make the transition to sustainable energy, adding that “it’s just a question of how long it takes.” He said space exploration should remain a priority “to understand the nature of the universe and our place in it.”
“Maybe we’ll find an extraterrestrial civilization or we’ll find a civilization that existed millions of years ago, but we’re seeing the ruins of an ancient civilization. I think that would be incredibly interesting,” he said.
© Thomson Reuters 2022
