Elon Musk interview: Tesla boss admits to working 120 hours a week and struggling to deal with 'excruciating' stress in tearful tell-all

Telsa boss Elon Musk has said the last year of his life has been “excruciating” and “the most painful year of” his career in a tearful tell-all interview.

Speaking to the New York Times, Mr Musk revealed the personal toll his work has had on his life, saying it has caused his health to deteriorate.

The newspaper said Mr Musk alternated between laughter and tears during the interview in which he said he was working up to 120 hours a week and sometimes takes sedative Ambien to get to sleep.

"This past year has been the most difficult and painful year of my career," he said. "It was excruciating."

Mr Musk admitted that the pressure of his work had caused him to spend his birthday stuck in the Telsa factory and led to him almost missing his brother’s wedding, where he was due to be best man.

When asked whether or not his tiring work schedule was taking a toll on his health, he said: “It’s not been great, actually. I’ve had friends come by who are really concerned.”

He added: “There were times when I didn’t leave the factory for three or four days - days when I didn’t go outside.

“This has really come at the expense of seeing my kids. And seeing friends.”

The interview, published on Friday, offered rare insights into Musk's personal life and inner thoughts.

He stood by his tweet last week saying he might take Tesla private and that he had secured the funding to do so.

Asked if he regretted it, he said: "Why would I?"

In the interview with The New York Times, Mr Musk said he fired off the tweet while on his way to the airport. He said his reference to having secured funding referred to a potential investment by Saudi Arabia's government investment fund.

Musk's social media antics have raised eyebrows as he berated analysts.

He also falsely accused a cave diver of being a paedophile after the man was skeptical about a mini-submarine that Musk sent to possibly help rescue young soccer players from a flooded cave in Thailand.

The SpaceX founder later apologised for that remark.

Additional reporting by Associated Press