Morton had been on the job for about a month, starting one day before Musk announced on Twitter that he was considering taking the electric car company private. The tweet made stocks soar.

At $420 a share, some people wondered whether the number was meant to reference marijuana culture. ("I was not on weed, to be clear," he told The New York Times. "Weed is not helpful for productivity. There's a reason for the word 'stoned.' You just sit there like a stone on weed.")

Gaby Toledano, Tesla's head of human resources, also said she was leaving the company on Friday. She had been on leave for a few months to be with her family, Tesla wrote in a blog post.

The departure of top executives has prompted scrutiny. Since the start of the year, 41 executives have left, according to CNBC.

Tesla did not immediately respond to NPR's request for comment.

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Tesla To Remain Public, Elon Musk Says

The spring and summer were full of drama for Musk, as he tussled in person and online with analysts, short-sellers and a British diver who helped rescue a team of boys trapped in a cave in Thailand.

Musk offered a frank and vulnerable look into his life for The New York Times in August, describing his long hours, isolation and how he took Ambien for sleep. According to the report, board members were concerned that the drug doesn't work for him sometimes and "instead contributes to late-night Twitter sessions." As for recreational drugs, he has used them "on occasion," sources said.

Other entrepreneurs have used marijuana, including the late Steve Jobs and George Zimmer, founder of Men's Wearhouse. Virgin Group founder Richard Branson reportedly encouraged parents to smoke joints with their children.

Several media outlets incorrectly reported that the U.S. Air Force was reviewing Musk's security clearance after the video of him smoking was published online, because his company SpaceX provides services to the government, Reuters reported.

"Do people want privacy?" Musk asked Rogan in the video. "Because they seem to put everything on the Internet, practically."