Nobody expected it.
Elon Musk surprised his millions of fans and detractors alike on Feb. 5 by saying the past few months have been hell. The serial entrepreneur went so far as to implore the "public's support" in this "extremely tough" time.
"Last 3 months were extremely tough, as had to save Twitter from bankruptcy, while fulfilling essential Tesla & SpaceX duties," the billionaire wrote on Feb. 5, as a comment of an article of the Wall Street Journal that chronicles his challenges. "Wouldn’t wish that pain on anyone."
"Twitter still has challenges, but is now trending to breakeven if we keep at it."
Musk then did what he rarely does: he asks for everyone's support.
"Public support is much appreciated!"
'I'm Worried About Me Too'
Support came immediately with words of encouragement and prayers for him.
"Please be safe& take care, the world needs you, Elon," commented one Twitter user.
"I’m worried about me too," the billionaire responded.
"You are the one that can make it happen! We believe in you! You have our support 💛" the same user replied.
"It’s too much of a responsibility for one man but God sees your heart and is with you," added another Twitter user. "The globalists know this and the day you acknowledge Him even more than you already do - no promise that the fight will diminish but the burden is lighter. I \ we need you to keep fighting."
"Elon, we believe in you! Always be safe and healthy!" quipped one user.
Another user reminded him that "even God rested, brother. Praying for you."
"Even God took the seventh day off. Get some rest. We all love you, even your haters admire you," another user agreed.
Many were the comments that called Musk to rest. Some of the Twitter users told him that they worked like him non-stop until they realized it wasn't viable.
"Go to sleep dude i have the same habits! It sucks!" advised one user.
"Everybody needs a day of rest each week, and it is my prayer you would find peace and joy in a relationship with Jesus. Either way, there are so many of us who thank and care about you," said another user.
"You’re impressive Elon but always remember most people also work 7 days/week and still struggle… You have talent, but you’re also a very lucky man. Which is great! Just never forget it -I’m sure it’s already the case," chimed in another user.
Musk's Busy Schedule
Since the end of October and the finalization of his acquisition of Twitter, the billionaire has been involved in five major companies. Three of them -- Tesla, SpaceX and Twitter -- play highly symbolic roles in their respective fields of activity. The other two companies are Neuralink and The Boring Company.
He thus found himself with several challenges to overcome. The very first is to make Twitter profitable as soon as possible because he has gone into debt to the tune of $13 billion to finance the deal which cost him $44 billion.
Besides running these companies, Musk also had to face two civil trials in which he testified. In one of the trials, Tesla investors accused him of fraud over tweets from 2018 in which he claimed to have secured funds to take Tesla private. He was acquitted on Feb. 3 by a jury in this case. The other lawsuit concerns the generous compensation package granted to him by Tesla. The verdict in this case is still awaited.
Juggle between processes while carrying out all the projects of its companies at the same time would be nearly impossible for many entrepreneurs, but for Musk.
Back in 2018, Musk said in interviews that Tesla was "close to death" during the troubled ramp-up of the mass market Model 3. He indicated at the time that he was sleeping in the factory and called the Model 3 buildout "production hell."
"No one should put this many hours into work," Musk declared back then. "This is not good. It was very painful. It hurts my brain and my heart."
