Weed, whiskey, Tesla and a flamethrower

There was whiskey, a seal, a samurai sword and long conversations about artificial intelligence and the end of the universe.

Just another episode of the extraordinary saga of Elon Musk, the billionaire leader of two big companies trying to change the world.

The CEO of the electric car manufacturer You're here (TSLA) and SpaceX spent more than two and a half hours on Thursday night talking to Joe Rogan, podcaster, about what was happening in his head ("an endless explosion"). ") and try to make governments regulate artificial intelligence (" nobody listened ").

Musk has been under intense pressure in recent weeks because of his failed attempt to privately take Tesla and his erratic behavior. But in the interview with Rogan, broadcast on YouTube, he seemed comfortable.

The South African-born entrepreneur wielded a flamethrower, unsheathed a samurai sword and made presentations on a wide range of topics:

Musk spoke of the difficulties of having the type of brain that allowed him to create and operate several high-tech companies at the same time.

"I do not think you would necessarily want to be me," he says. "I do not think people would like it that much."

The inside of his head is like "an endless explosion" with ideas bouncing all the time, he said, adding that he found it "very difficult" to divert his brain.

Leading Tesla is his most "difficult" job, he told Rogan.

The car company struggled to increase production of its Model 3 sedan, which was hit by a number of delays, intensifying pressure on Musk.

"It is very difficult to keep a car business alive," he said.

Musk raised eyebrows on social media after accepting what Rogan said was a mix of marijuana and tobacco and taking a whiff. "I mean, it's legal, no?" He asked.

Marijuana is legal in California, where the interview took place, but Musk's phone then began to buzz. "I get text messages from friends saying to me," What are you doing while smoking grass? " "He said.

Musk explained that he "is not a regular smoker of grass" because he "does not find that it is very good for productivity".

"It's like a cup of coffee upside down," he added.

Musk had already alarmed some Tesla investors by admitting during an emotional talk last month with the New York Times that he was taking the Ambien prescription drug because he was having difficulty in to sleep.

He denied being smoking grass when he sent his now infamous tweet on Aug. 7 claiming that he had obtained funds to take Tesla privately.

The interview touched on one of Musk's favorite themes: ways to revolutionize transportation.

Musk said he had designed preliminary plans for a supersonic and electric plane that would take off and land vertically.

But he does not plan to pursue the idea anytime soon because he is too busy with Tesla, SpaceX and other projects.

"I have a lot on my plate," said Musk. "An electric plane is not important right now."

He insisted that his plans to dig tunnels under cities to take commuters on high-speed trains are the best solution to traffic jams. But he expressed frustration over his efforts to build a tunnel under Los Angeles.

"Maybe it will be successful, maybe it will not," said Musk. The city "is a terrible place to dig tunnels," he added. "Especially because of the paperwork."

The tech entrepreneur has ruled out flying cars from the prospect, saying that they would be too noisy and impractical.

"If you get one of these toy drones and you imagine that it's 1,000 times heavier, it's not going to make your neighbors happy," he explained.

"If you want a flying car, just put wheels on a helicopter," he added.

Musk said his efforts to fuse the human brain with machines were progressing.

His Neuralink company will have "something interesting" to announce in a few months, which will be "an order of magnitude" ahead of what people think is possible, he said.

Neuralink aims to connect humans to computers without a physical connection by implanting tiny electrodes into the brain.

Musk has repeatedly expressed his concerns about the dangers of an uncontrolled development of artificial intelligence, but said his efforts towards a more cautious and regulated approach had been "in vain".

He told Rogan that he thinks that merging humans with computers is the approach that "probably seems the best for us: if you can not beat her, join her".

CNNMoney (Hong Kong) First published on September 7, 2018: 5:45 AM ET