Tech billionaire Elon Musk smokes marijuana on podcast as shares fall and senior execs leave

TESLA founder Elon Musk has shrugged off scandals and a tanking stock price to drink whiskey and smoke weed on a live web show.

TESLA’s Elon Musk provoked another Twitterstorm on Friday by briefly smoking marijuana on a live web show with comedian Joe Rogan.

Musk, 47, spent two-and-a-half hours on a podcast late Thursday discussing everything from artificial intelligence and its impact on humankind to flame throwers and social media.

Taking a puff from a joint — which Rogan said was a blend of tobacco and marijuana and legal in California — Musk said he “almost never” smoked.

He didn't even inhale! https://t.co/lkiJswamhs

— VICE (@VICE) September 7, 2018

“I’m not a regular smoker of weed,” Musk said. “I don’t actually notice any effect … I don’t find that it is very good for productivity.”

Tesla was not immediately available for comment — but investors apparently weren’t giddy over the Musk toke.

Shares of Tesla dropped 8.2 per cent in pre-market trading, to $258.40.

Tesla shares dropped over 8 per cent after founder Elon Musk was seen online smoking marijuana. Picture: Spencer Platt/Getty Images/AFP

The smoking session was just the latest in a series of recent bizarre acts by Musk.

Musk stunned investors a month back with tweets saying he had funding to take the company private for $420 (A$589 ) per share.

He then backed off from his plan, saying Tesla was better off as a public company.

He followed it up with fresh attacks on British cave diver Vernon Unsworth.

BuzzFeed News reported earlier in the week that Musk, in an email to the news site, called Mr Unsworth a “child rapist.”

British diver Vernon Unsworth was called a “paedo” by Elon Musk, sparking speculation about Musk’s state of mind. Picture: Romeo GACAD/AFP

Musk apologised to Mr Unsworth in July for similar insults he made on Twitter following the rescue of a dozen Thai schoolboys and their football coach from a cave in Thailand.

The billionaire’s behaviour has raised concerns about his leadership, and several Wall Street analysts have called for the company to appoint a strong No. 2 to prop up Tesla’s operations and standing with investors.

His followers on Twitter went into a frenzy following the podcast.

Several followers questioned if it was against the company’s policy, while others mocked the CEO’s initial $420 bid, a number that has become code for marijuana.

Yea....I'd say....Talking about building aircraft while smoking weed is probably not too good for business. #Tesla

— Laurie Bailey Vaughn (@LaurieBailey) September 7, 2018

“Elon getting high on weed and whiskey is the first reason to go long on $TSLA in a while.

This man doing everything besides making me a cheaper Tesla

— Your Faves Ugly Friend (@MyGuyMoses) September 7, 2018

He needs to relax a bit,” a tweet by user @jkmcnk said.

Another user tweeted, “This guy is completely off the rails.”

The online incident follows turmoil at Tesla Inc. this week as the news that two senior executives have decided to leave the electric-car making company.

Chief Accounting Officer Dave Morton gave his notice on Tuesday that he was resigning less than a month into the job, according to a Friday filing.

After Tesla’s stock plunged, it declined further after Gabrielle Toledano, the head of human resources who’s been on a leave of absence, told Bloomberg News that she won’t rejoin the company.

—With the New York Post.