*By Carlo Versano*
The exodus from Tesla continued Friday morning, after news that two more executives had called it quits.
Accounting chief David Morton [reportedly](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-tesla-moves/tesla-chief-accountant-resigns-one-month-after-joining-idUSKCN1LN1MH) resigned just a month after joining the company. The impetus? Reportedly the unrelenting pace of work and the level of public scrutiny at the company. Shortly after, HR head Gabrielle Toledano, who'd taken a leave of absence last month, also said she wouldn't return.
The departures came after CEO Elon Musk gave a wide-ranging, nearly three-hour [interview](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycPr5-27vSI&feature=youtu.be) to podcast host Joe Rogan and addressed topics ranging from his job at Tesla to the the end of the world.
Musk admitted on "The Joe Rogan Experience" that running a company like Tesla is intense and tricky, saying, "It's very difficult to keep a car company alive." The CEO didn't give any indication that he's seeking a lieutenant to help him handle the workload.
At one point, Musk and Rogan shared a spliff, though Musk said doesn't make a habit of smoking weed, which he called "a cup of coffee in reverse." He said he's found the substance hurt his productivity. Marijuana is legal in California, where the interview took place.
Musk also told Rogan that Tesla remains his focus, though he did ruminate aloud on a new idea to build an electric airplane that he thinks would be capable of taking off and landing vertically (VTOL), as Harrier jets do. But Musk also said this isn't really a priority, and he also dismissed the concept of a flying car as impractical.
“Electric cars are important, solar energy is important, stationary storage of energy is important. These things are much more important than creating electric supersonic VTOL,” he said.
Rogan asked Musk about The Boring Company, which Musk said started as a"joke," mostly borne out of his desperation to fix L.A.'s notoriously bad traffic problem.
"I'm not saying it's going to be successful," Musk said, though he noted it has already dug a mile-long tunnel under the streets of Los Angeles.
Shares of Tesla were down as much as 10 percent in early Friday trade, the biggest percent drop for the company since June 2016.
That may have provided some relief to those betting on the company's decline ー on Thursday, it was reported that prolific short seller Andrew Left of Citron Research was filing suit against Tesla and Musk for the now-infamous "funding secured" tweet in early August. Left argued that the CEO committed stock manipulation and securities fraud ー shares immediately soared after that post, but have since fallen more than 30 percent.
Musk did not directly address the suit during the Rogan sit-down.
The New York Times and President Donald Trump are fighting again. The news outlet said Wednesday it won't be deterred by Trump's “false and inflammatory language” from writing about the 79-year-old president's health. The Times has done a handful of stories on that topic recently, including an opinion column that said Trump is “starting to give President Joe Biden vibes.” In a Truth Social post, Trump said it might be treasonous for outlets like the Times to do “FAKE” reports about his health and "we should do something about it.” The Republican president already has a pending lawsuit against the newspaper for its past reports on his finances.
OpenAI has appointed Slack CEO Denise Dresser as its first chief of revenue. Dresser will oversee global revenue strategy and help businesses integrate AI into daily operations. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently emphasized improving ChatGPT, which now has over 800 million weekly users. Despite its success, OpenAI faces competition from companies like Google and concerns about profitability. The company earns money from premium ChatGPT subscriptions but hasn't ventured into advertising. Altman had recently announced delays in developing new products like AI agents and a personal assistant.
President Donald Trump says he will allow Nvidia to sell its H200 computer chip used in the development of artificial intelligence to “approved customers” in China. Trump said Monday on his social media site that he had informed China’s leader Xi Jinping and “President Xi responded positively!” There had been concerns about allowing advanced computer chips into China as it could help them to compete against the U.S. in building out AI capabilities. But there has also been a desire to develop the AI ecosystem with American companies such as chipmaker Nvidia.
U.S. sports betting is booming as NFL and college football fuel massive activity. BetMGM CEO Adam Greenblatt breaks down trends, growth, and what’s next.
President Donald Trump says a deal struck by Netflix last week to buy Warner Bros. Discovery “could be a problem” because of the size of the combined market share. The Republican president says he will be involved in the decision about whether federal regulators should approve the deal. Trump commented Sunday when he was asked about the deal as he walked the red carpet at the Kennedy Center Honors. The $72 billion deal would bring together two of the biggest players in television and film and potentially reshape the entertainment industry.
Disney's changes to a program for disabled visitors are facing challenges in federal court and through a shareholder proposal. The Disability Access Service program, which allows disabled visitors to skip long lines, was overhauled last year. Disney now mostly limits the program to those with developmental disabilities like autism who have difficulty waiting in lines. The changes have sparked criticism from some disability advocates. A shareholder proposal submitted by disability advocates calls for an independent review of Disney's disability policies. Disney plans to block this proposal, claiming it's misleading. It's the latest struggle by Disney to accommodate disabled visitors while stopping past abuses by some theme park guests.
With a merger this big, creators, studios, and theaters all face uncertain futures. Here’s what experts are worried about and what good could come from it.
With disengagement rising and hybrid work shifting, 'Everybody Matters' author Bob Chapman explains why treating people well could define the future of work.
We sat down with Ali Furman, U.S. Consumer Markets Industry Leader at consulting firm PwC to ask what trends she garnered from the initial data this year.
