This links to the archived version. Original link is: https://www.wsj.com/business/elon-musk-illegal-drugs-e826a9e1
Elon Musk and his supporters offer several explanations for his contrarian views, unfiltered speech and provocative antics. They’re an expression of his creativity. Or the result of his mental-health challenges. Or fallout from his stress, or sleep deprivation.
In recent years, some executives and board members at his companies and others close to the billionaire have developed a persistent concern that there is another component driving his behavior: his use of drugs.
And they fear the Tesla TSLA -0.18%decrease; red down pointing triangle and SpaceX chief executive’s drug use could have major consequences not just for his health, but also the six companies and billions in assets he oversees, according to people familiar with Musk and the companies.
The world’s wealthiest person has used LSD, cocaine, ecstasy and psychedelic mushrooms, often at private parties around the world, where attendees sign nondisclosure agreements or give up their phones to enter, according to people who have witnessed his drug use and others with knowledge of it. Musk has previously smoked marijuana in public and has said he has a prescription for the psychedelic-like ketamine.
In 2018, for example, he took multiple tabs of acid at a party he hosted in Los Angeles. The next year he partied on magic mushrooms at an event in Mexico. In 2021, he took ketamine recreationally with his brother, Kimbal Musk, in Miami at a house party during Art Basel. He has taken illegal drugs with current SpaceX and former Tesla board member Steve Jurvetson.
Etc. etc. That should get the bulk of the summary in. Given Elon Musk’s widely known partying in Silicon Valley, as well as him acknowledging the use of both Ketamine and Ambien as party drugs, the news of harder drugs is no surprise to me at least.
Elon has denied this article, but here’s some interesting details. This one is spicy:
Hundreds of SpaceX employees gathered around mission control at the rocket company’s headquarters in Hawthorne, Calif., in anticipation of Musk, who was nearly an hour late to arrive at the all-hands meeting about the company’s latest rocket.
When he finally took the stage, Musk was strangely incomprehensible at times. He slurred his words and rambled for around 15 minutes, according to executives in attendance, and referred repeatedly to SpaceX’s Big Falcon Rocket prototype, which was known as BFR, as “Big F—ing Rocket.”
I don’t expect much to happen with regards to TSLA board or SpaceX board. But maybe the Feds will be forced to step in? Elon does have a top secret clearance apparently, and hard drugs are a big no-no.
Elon isn’t an entitled antic driven shitgoblin because he does drugs, he’s an entitled antics driven shitgoblin that happens to do drugs.
The fact that any investors have faith in him over how patently ridiculous the hyperloop was blows my mind. Those investors are supposed to be the ‘smart’ people capitalism rewards for being right.
From the beginning the only successes Elon has had was ones he bought from others. ALL his original ideas are shit, not well thought out, and ridiculously expensive.
He has failed upwards so many times that investors think he is a magic man.
He isn’t. Not even close. In fact he lessens EVERYTHING he touches.
But the world has rewarded him with the greatest of unending wealth.
There is no such thing as a meritocracy, every billionaire’s wealth is made from the blood and sweat of an exploited labor class.
It’s time to eat the rich.
You’re correct in practical terms, but that’s not how it works high up. Here’s how you use Musk, if you’re a super rich billionaire:
1 - find some moronic project, like car-tunnels for electric cars.
2 - invest 10 million
3 - get musk involved, pay him some insane salary and bonus for it. The project becomes super popular and investors flock to it because Musk is involved and they’re all hoping it’ll be the next Tesla.
4 - ridiculous project balloons to massive size, your share in it blows up 50 fold, based purely on whatever bullshit Musk is promising.
5 - sell for 5000% profit
6 - laugh as the idiots get left holding the bag of a totally bullshit project that doesn’t even work in theory. Toast your buddy Elon as he cashes his bonus before it all collapses.
Ok but hot take: How about we instead focus on ideas that don’t continue to erode our economy on a grand scale?
I know you were being funny but it’s a sign of a sick economy when a good chunk of people spend time on figuring out how to abuse it.
The Hyperloop was a business decision. They trusted him with it because it didn’t matter what the end result was, it just had to gimp California high speed rail.
So no one else finds it disturbing that
allmost of our high cost infrastructure projects in the last 10 years have been to fuck over people?edit: ‘most’ not ‘all’
Positive train control makes trains more autonomous and is perhaps one of the most important improvements to USA in the last decade.
The issue is that boring improvements don’t get headlines or widespread recognition anymore. Even if they are hugely widespread and impactful.
I guess train crashes just are so rare today that people don’t recognize the next big steps in safety and automation.
5G cell phone upgrade is on its way and will likely be far more important than Starlink as well.
Ok I admit this, going back to change it to ‘most’.
You’re right… but… the far right that he’s so courted over the past few years cares deeply about the drug issue.
This is exactly the wrong reputation he needs to be building for his newfound buddies.
The far right cares about being able to control populations with strong drug laws. Minority populations, from what I’ve seen.
Tons of them do drugs though, they don’t actually give a shit about that.
They absolutely do not care about drug use, only the identity of the user
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_Sentencing_Act
This is very true but also goes to show the idiocy of his far right associates.
I sincerely hope this bites him on the ass in the worst way possible.
That said, used in moderation with understanding and proper support, LSD can be a very beneficial and enjoyable experience and I don’t what the perception of that tainted beyond what it already is by adding on Elon’s trust fund kiddie antics on top of it.
The right did not give a shit about drugs when it was Rush Limbaugh. If Limbaugh had been black, they’d insist be be in jail.
This Elon Musk does Drugs article is on Drudge Report. I dunno how high it got on there, but even right now its near the top.
The right seems to care about this, at least a little bit more than Rush Limbaugh.
Who cares
I don’t think his problem is that he’s done drugs. It seems like the problem is he’s done all the drugs. I’ve seen Elon say stupid shit from the start, but it wasn’t anywhere as dumb as the shit he says today. I think he’s fried his brain with way too many drugs. I’m not anti drug at all but doing too much will definitely fuck you up more.
The amplifier here has been years and years and years of sleep deprivation. Putting psychoactive drugs that keeps you awake on top of that is, at best, like throwing water on top of an oil fire, at worst like throwing napalm on it.
Also, in addition to that, there’s the utter lack of maturity, grudge-holding, perpetually greedy and needy.