An emotional Elon Musk says the past year has been 'excruciating,' and he expects it to get even worse

Elon Musk's nonstop work schedule is fracturing his relationships with friends and family, plus taking a toll on his health, the Tesla CEO told The New York Times on Thursday.

Musk spoke with Times reporters for an hour, and he would sometimes laugh before switching to crying. "This past year has been the most difficult and painful year of my career," he said. "It was excruciating." Musk, 47, said he often works up to 120 hours a week, and he barely made it to his brother's recent wedding, only to leave right when it was over. Spending so much time at work "has really come at the expense of seeing my kids, and seeing friends," he said.

Musk made headlines last week when he tweeted: "Am considering taking Tesla private at $420. Funding secured." Tesla shares went up, and investigators from the Securities and Exchange Commission have since asked Musk to explain the tweet, people familiar with the matter told the Times, and sent subpoenas to Musk and Tesla's board. Musk said he sent the tweet while driving to the airport, and no one else knew he was going to post it. People with knowledge of the matter said funding is not really secured, and it could be coming from a Saudi Arabian government investment fund, but nothing is set in stone.

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They also said the Tesla board is concerned about Musk's workload, his use of Ambien, and his strange tweets (he called a British diver who volunteered to help rescue the children stuck in a cave in Thailand earlier this summer "pedo guy"), and they are searching for someone to come in and work as Musk's No. 2. Musk, meanwhile, is certain that "the worst is yet to come" for him, and he's worried about short-sellers who are "desperately pushing a narrative that will possibly result in Tesla's destruction." Read more of the bleak interview at The New York Times.