Elon Musk's alleged drug use reportedly had Tesla board members asking him to go to rehab

Several current or former directors at Tesla party with Musk, and some reportedly felt he pressured them to take drugs

By Bradley Brownell2 min readPublished February 5, 2024

It has been not-so-secret Silicon Valley knowledge in recent years that Elon Musk frequently enjoys partaking in mind altering, hallucinogenic, and potentially dangerous drugs. A January Wall Street Journal piece voiced the concerns of investors and higher ups within Musk’s companies that his propensity to use drugs was affecting his ability to be an effective CEO. Following a Delaware court’s decision to block Musk’s compensation package based on the evidence that the Tesla $TSLA board was engaging in cronyism, WSJ is back with another banger connecting those board members to Musk. These connections were often based around drug-fueled parties and flights.

In the winter of 2022, former Tesla board member and friend of Musk, Larry Ellison, pushed Musk to visit his private Hawaiian island for a dry out, according to WSJ sources. This seems to have been the worst period for Elon’s drug bender, as other friends encouraged him to take Ellison’s offer, or attend rehab.

In January it was reported that Musk is an occasional user of cocaine, ecstasy, LSD, and mushrooms, in addition to medical and recreational use of ketamine, and we’ve all seen him smoke weed. All of these drugs, bar the ket for which Musk has a prescription, are federally illegal, and could jeopardize his companies. Particularly at risk is SpaceX, which operates on federal contracts and is subject to strict anti-drug policies. Musk’s government security clearance is at risk, likewise.

According to the WSJ report:

In the culture Musk has created around him, some friends, including directors, feel there is an expectation to consume drugs with him because they think refraining could upset the billionaire, who has made them a lot of money, some of the people said. More so, they don’t want to risk losing the social capital that comes from being close to Musk, which for some feels akin to having proximity to a king.

Reports include direct accounts from Tesla board member Joe Gebbia, “where Musk took ketamine recreationally through a nasal spray bottle multiple times.” He has also been witnessed taking drugs with his brother and Tesla board member Kimbal Musk, as well as other board members Steve Jurvetson and Antonio Gracias.

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