Then he heaves a sigh and ends his effort at composure. āI just broke up with my girlfriend,ā he says hesitantly. āI was really in love, and it hurt bad.ā
He pauses and corrects himself: āWell, she broke up with me more than I broke up with her, I think.ā
Thus, the answer to the question posed earlier: It felt unexpectedly, disappointingly, uncontrollably horrible to launch the Model 3. āIāve been in severe emotional pain for the last few weeks,ā Musk elaborates. āSevere. It took every ounce of will to be able to do the Model 3 event and not look like the most depressed guy around. For most of that day, I was morbid. And then I had to psych myself up: drink a couple of Red Bulls, hang out with positive people and then, like, tell myself: āI have all these people depending on me. All right, do it!āā
Minutes before the event, after meditating for pretty much the first time in his life to get centered, Musk chose a very telling song to drive onstage to: āR U Mine?ā by the Arctic Monkeys.
Musk discusses the breakup for a few more minutes, then asks, earnestly, deadpan, āIs there anybody you think I should date? Itās so hard for me to even meet people.ā He swallows and clarifies, stammering softly, āIām looking for a long-term relationship. Iām not looking for a one-night stand. Iām looking for a serious companion or soulmate, that kind of thing.ā