Elon Musk worries Tesla leaders about drug use – 01/07/2024 – Tech

Billionaire Elon Musk has worried executives from the companies Tesla and SpaceX, which he owns, due to the alleged use of illicit drugs, such as LSD, cocaine, ecstasy and psychedelic mushrooms. The information was published this Saturday (6) by the North American newspaper The Wall Street Journal, which heard from people close to the richest man in the world.

According to the report, Musk allegedly used illegal acts at private parties, where guests signed confidentiality agreements and handed over cell phones to enter.

The billionaire has already publicly admitted to using drugs and said he has a prescription for ketamine, an anesthetic with a psychedelic effect that, in microdoses, is used to treat depression. The drug was detected in large quantities in the autopsy of actor Matthew Perry, who drowned in his own bathtub in October last year.

According to people close to Musk, the concern is not only for the billionaire’s health, but also for possible interference in the management of the companies he controls. In addition to Tesla and SpaceX, he is also CEO of X, formerly Twitter, tunneling venture The Boring, brain implant developer Neuralink and artificial intelligence startup xAI.

On some occasions, according to the report, he would have participated in meetings and given interviews under the influence of drugs.

One of the most emblematic cases occurred in September 2018, when he smoked marijuana on comedian and sports commentator Joe Rogan’s videocast. Tesla shares fell 9% the day the images were made public, and the Pentagon reviewed the federal security clearance tied to Musk’s position as CEO of SpaceX, a company certified by the US government to provide satellites to national security agencies.

NASA also demanded guarantees that SpaceX was in compliance with the Drug-Free Workplace Act, which is federal and mandatory for companies that provide services to the American government. The space satellite company is the only one in the United States authorized to transport astronauts to the International Space Station.

“After that single puff with [Joe] Rogan, I agreed, at NASA’s request, to do three years of random drug testing. Not even traces of alcohol or drugs were found,” Musk wrote on X this Sunday (7), after the report was published.

To the North American newspaper, Alex Spiro, Musk’s lawyer, also stated that the billionaire is “regularly and randomly tested for drugs at SpaceX and has never failed a test.” He further added that the newspaper article mentions “false facts”, although he did not provide further details.

The billionaire did not respond to a request for comment from the Wall Street Journal.