'Hang in there', Anand Mahindra tells Elon Musk after Tesla tweet row

Mahindra & Mahindra Chairman Anand Mahindra has a piece of advice for Elon Musk after the Tesla and SpaceX founder revealed during a recent interview that "stress and heavy work" were taking a toll on him. Mahindra suggested Musk, who kicked up a storm last week after he tweeted to convert the publicly traded Tesla into a private one at $420 apiece, to "hang in there". After his tweet, the US Securities and Exchange Commission asked his company for explanations.

In an emotional interview with The New York Times, Elon Musk had discussed some painful events that unfolded in his life this year. The report had said Musk "choked up multiple times, noting that he nearly missed his brother's wedding this summer and spent his birthday holed up in Tesla's offices as the company raced to meet elusive production targets on a crucial new model".

The Indian billionaire advised Musk: "Hang in there @elonmusk Your factory is now humming at a brisk clip. The world needs inspirational innovators like you..."

Hang in there @elonmusk Your factory is now humming at a brisk clip. The world needs inspirational innovators like you... https://t.co/VHGk3gLmYt

- anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) August 18, 2018

This is not the first time Musk has courted controversy. During a Tesla press meet recently, he lashed out at analysts for asking "boring, bonehead" questions. He had also sent a team of engineers, along with a mini-submarine, to help rescue 12 members of a stranded soccer team in Thailand. After a British diver turned down his request, Musk called him a "pedo guy" or paedophile.

Musk's recent tweets have caused a furore, with industry experts posing questions about his leadership style and the overall health issues he has been facing.  During the interview with NYT, Musk said he, sometimes, takes Ambien, a brand of sleeping pill available in the United States, which is used to treat insomnia in adults.

Some board members are unhappy with Musk's behaviour, including his late-night Twitter sessions and use of recreational drugs.

Ariana Huffington, the founder of Huffington Post and board member in Tesla, also advised Elon in a blog post to "change the way you work to be more in line with the science around how humans are most effective. You need it, Tesla needs it and the world needs it," she said.

To this, Elon replied: "Ford & Tesla are the only 2 American car companies to avoid bankruptcy. I just got home from the factory. You think this is an option. It is not." He added that sometimes to bring forth good, "you must first go through bad".