'It's a s**t show' working under Elon Musk – Tesla employees reveal

Tesla employees say 'it's a s**t show' working under beleaguered Elon Musk. Photo / AP

Elon Musk's tough year is getting even worse.

Tesla employees have opened up to the New York Post about what it's like to work under the company's billionaire chairman and chief executive.

"Elon talks about being a socialist and doing good for mankind — unless you work for them," one source told the New York Post.

"It's a s**t show."

Another employee told the New York Post that Musk was walking a razor wire between the things he's promising and the things he can actually deliver.

Last week Musk choked up in an interview with the New York Times when he described 2018 as the most painful and excruciating year of his career.

"This past year has been the most difficult and painful year of my career," Musk said in an hour long interview with the New York Times. "It was excruciating."

Musk said he was fraying and even friends had become concerned about the toll exhaustion was taking on his physical health.

"It's [physical health] not been great, actually. I've had friends come by who are really concerned," Musk said in the interview.

Musk told the New York Times last week that he has been working a lot - up to 120 hours per week lately - saying, "There were times when I didn't leave the factory for three or four days - days when I didn't go outside."

Three weeks ago it was revealed the electric car-maker burned through US$739.5 million ($1.1 billion) in cash on its way to a record US$717.5m net loss in the second quarter, as it cranked out more electric cars.

Last year, the Wall Street Journal published an exposé about the deep divide between the Tesla engineers working on self-driving cars and Musk's pronouncements about deadlines and capabilities.

At least 14 people had already resigned and since then the electric car maker continues to suffer a talent drain.