Musk’s Drug Use Concerns Tesla, SpaceX Leaders, WSJ Says
(Bloomberg) -- Elon Musk's drug use has worried executives and board members at businesses he runs, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing unidentified people familiar with the billionaire and the companies.
Musk has used LSD, cocaine, ecstasy and psychedelic mushrooms, often at private parties, the Journal said, citing unnamed witnesses and others with knowledge of the matter. People close to the Tesla Inc. and SpaceX chief executive officer told the newspaper his drug use is ongoing, and that in particular he's consuming ketamine. Musk said in August he has a prescription to use the drug as an antidepressant.
After Musk puffed on a blunt containing marijuana on Joe Rogan's podcast in September 2018, the Pentagon reviewed the federal security clearance tied to his role as CEO of Space Exploration Technologies Corp., which is certified to launch military spy satellites, Bloomberg News first reported in March 2019.
“After that one puff with Rogan, I agreed, at NASA's request, to do 3 years of random drug testing,” Musk, 52, posted Sunday on X, the social media company he owns. “Not even trace quantities were found of any drugs or alcohol.”
Musk didn't respond to a request for comment from Bloomberg News. Alex Spiro, an attorney for the billionaire, told the Journal that his client is “regularly and randomly drug tested at SpaceX and has never failed a test,” and referred to “false facts” in the article but didn't detail them.
SpaceX is now the only US company approved to transport NASA astronauts to and from the International Space Station. The Pentagon also has stepped up purchases of launches from the closely held company in recent years, and in June contracted with SpaceX's satellite communications business Starlink to support Ukraine's military.
The Journal reported that Linda Johnson Rice, who became a Tesla director in 2017, didn't stand for reelection two years later out of frustration with Musk's behavior and her concerns about his drug use.
Musk oversees six companies: Tesla, SpaceX and X, the social media company formerly known as Twitter; the tunneling venture The Boring Co.; brain implant developer Neuralink; and artificial intelligence startup xAI. His $219.4 billion net worth ranks No. 1 on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
(Updates with Musk not responding to a request for comment in fifth paragraph.)
More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
©2024 Bloomberg L.P.
-
Getting To Work Costs Women More | The Reason Why
It is not just about women paying more than men. It is about women paying much more in cities than in villages.
-
AI Bias In Investing Cannot Be Eliminated, But It Can Be Governed
Framing is a particularly important example as identical financial information presented in terms of gains rather than losses can lead an LLM to reach a different assessment.
-
Joining The Dots | Dark Skies, Steady Diya: Why Hope Holds This Diwali
With war, a weak rupee and foreign outflows weighing on sentiment, policymakers at the NDTV World Summit and market veterans at NDTV Profit Ignite: Diwali Edition offered the same advice: stay invested and filter out the noise.
-
The Curious Case of Equitas Small Finance Bank And A CEO Who Quit For Stock
PN Vasudevan believes persistent investor concerns over a perceived conflict of interest had become a governance overhang on Equitas Small Finance Bank's stock, even as the lender improved profitability and asset quality.
-
Talking Points This Week: AI Cash Burn, A Tiger Comeback And An India That Still Finds Its Own Path
India is not immune to higher oil or tighter global liquidity, yet its earnings base is broader, its domestic policy levers are still available.
-
Foreign Investors Own Half Of HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank. An LTCG Cut Could Matter Most Here
Foreign portfolio investors have US$115 billion parked in HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank. If the government cuts long-term capital gains tax, Jefferies says returning foreign money could land here first.
-
'Never Seen This Level Of Negativity': Sandeep Tandon Says The Next Rally May Be Closer Than You Think
Veteran investor Sandeep Tandon says foreign selling is easing, large-caps are due a comeback and mid-caps are crowded, while he turns positive on gold, power and pharma this Diwali.
-
Indians Stay With Family, Not In Hotels | The Reason Why
India still lacks enough clean, reliable and affordable hotels for budget-conscious travellers.
-
The Economic Imperative: Analysing The Material Driving Force Behind India-Canada Strategic Reset
This economic complementarity is further reinforced by deep institutional investment ties and talent mobility, which form the bedrock of the bilateral framework.
-
Medicine Pricing: Where Must Profit Stop?
India must confront excessive margins, hidden incentives and regulatory gaps that threaten the integrity of medicine.
