Elon Musk’s use of illegal drugs at exclusive parties around the world is a cause for concern to the executives and board members of his various companies.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the world’s richest man has allegedly used LSD, cocaine, ecstasy, and magic mushrooms at parties where guests had to sign nondisclosure agreements or surrender their phones in order to attend.
Musk has attributed his behavior to mental illness and a lack of sleep from obsessively overseeing his companies. In 2017 claimed that he had bipolar disorder, but added that he had not been diagnosed.
Their concern for the tech tycoon’s health extends towards the potential consequences for his six businesses, including Tesla and SpaceX, sources told the Journal.
Musk is bound up with and essential to the value of his companies, potentially putting at risk around $1 trillion in assets held by investors, tens of thousands of jobs and big parts of the US space program.
Alex Spiro, an attorney for Musk, said that the CEO told the Journal Musk ‘regularly and randomly drug tested at SpaceX and has never failed a test.’
Musk smoked marijuana on the Joe Rogan show and has publicly discussed his prescription for the psychedelic-like ketamine.
However, witnesses told the Journal that the X owner has also used LSD, cocaine, ecstasy and psychedelic mushrooms, often at private exclusive parties around the world where guests have to sign NDAs and hand in their phones to avoid photos being taken.
In 2018, for example, he took multiple tabs of acid at a party he hosted in Los Angeles, the Journal reported.
The next year he allegedly consumed magic mushrooms at an event in Mexico and in 2021 took ketamine recreationally with his brother at a house party in Miami.
The billionaire has even taken drugs with current SpaceX and former Tesla board member Steve Jurvetson, according to the Journal.
Those close to the 52-year-old are now reportedly concerned that the extent of his drug taking could cause of health crisis or a crisis for his businesses.
SpaceX is the only U.S. company now approved to transport NASA astronauts to and from the International Space Station.
However, illegal drug use would likely be a violation of federal policies that could jeopardize SpaceX’s billions of dollars in government contracts.
Musk’s drug use and the volatile behavior it can exacerbate has already led to resignations at the top of Musk’s businesses, the Journal reports.
Linda Johnson Rice, a former Tesla director, allegedly became increasingly concerned with Musk’s drug taking and so frustrated with his behavior that she didn’t stand for re-election to the company’s board in 2019, people familiar with the matter told the publication.
Serious concerns over Musk’s drug taking were raised in 2017 when at a SpaceX meeting about the Big Falcon Rocket prototype Musk was slurring his words and rambled somewhat incomprehensibly for fifteen minutes, according the the Journal’s sources.
SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell reportedly stepped in and took over the meeting.
After the meeting SpaceX executives reportedly talked privately about their concerns that Musk was on drugs.
One described told the Journal the event was ‘nonsensical,’ ‘unhinged’ and ‘cringeworthy.’