BENGALURU/SAN FRANCISCO: Tesla Inc chief executive officer Elon Musk has sold 22 million shares worth US$3.58 billion in the electric-vehicle maker this week, a US securities filing showed on Wednesday (Dec 14).

The latest sale, Musk's second since his US$44 billion purchase of Twitter in October, brings the total Tesla stocks sold by the billionaire to nearly US$40 billion over the past year.

He now owns 13.4% of the world's most valuable carmaker, according to Refinitiv data.

Investor concerns that Musk's purchase of Twitter could divert his time away from Tesla have driven down shares in the company more than 60% in 2022, making it one of the worst-performing stocks among major automakers and tech firms this year.

The stock hit its lowest in over two years on Wednesday.

Musk, who recently lost his title as the world's richest person, unloaded shares over three days between Monday and Wednesday, according to the filing.

Tesla did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comments outside business hours.

The latest share sale comes a month after Musk sold shares worth US$4 billion in Tesla days after he closed the Twitter deal. 

  - Reuters