Washington — Tesla shares took a pounding on Friday amid fresh fears about the future of the electric carmaker after an interview with CEO Elon Musk in which he revealed his struggles with exhaustion and a lengthy but unsuccessful effort to find a number two executive. Tesla shares skidded 8.9% to $305.50 following the publication of the interview with The New York Times. Musk opened up to the newspaper about the personal toll he said he had endured, working marathon hours trying to ensure that deadlines are met, with Tesla ramping up production of its Model 3 sedan. "There were times when I didn’t leave the factory for three or four days," Musk said. "This past year has been the most difficult and painful year of my career. It was excruciating." Musk revealed he needed to take medication to sleep during the latest ordeals and said he had approached Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg about becoming his number two at Tesla.
The brash South African-born entrepreneur also sought to exp...
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