LSD, cocaine, ecstasy... Elon Musk's drug use worries Tesla and SpaceX executives

If Elon Musk sometimes has his head in the clouds, it's not just because he runs a rocket company... In a long investigation, the Wall Street Journal reveals the concern of the multibillionaire's colleagues about his excessive consumption of drugs.

In the columns of the American daily, the list of substances consumed by Elon Musk makes heads turn. LSD, cocaine, ecstasy or other psychedelic mushrooms would have their way into private parties where participants must sign non-disclosure agreements or give up their phones. The serial entrepreneur would also be a regular user of ketamine, a substance for which he has a medical prescription to treat depressive syndromes.

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Several sources are concerned about the effects of these drugs on Elon Musk's state of health but also, and above all, about the negative consequences that this could have on his various businesses. The consumption of illegal substances is notably a violation of the federal laws of certain states and could jeopardize the 14 billion dollars in contracts signed between SpaceX and the American government for civil and military space missions. To be able to carry out projects led by NASA, the company signed the Drug-Free Workplace Act, a program which promotes the total absence of drugs on the premises and among its employees.

Tesla also states in its internal code of conduct that “employees must report to work and perform their duties without being under the influence of illegal drugs or alcohol. No exceptions.”

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In the past, several strange decisions or behaviors by Elon Musk have already alerted the managers of SpaceX or Tesla. The Wall Street Journal notably reports on a presentation at SpaceX headquarters that turned into a fiasco in 2017. Late by more than an hour, Elon Musk took the stage in a daze to detail a rocket prototype. For 15 minutes, the entrepreneur rambled and muttered in front of a forbidden audience before Gwynne Shotwell, the president of SpaceX, took over to limit the damage.

In 2018, another episode embarrassed SpaceX executives. In a show broadcast live on the internet, Elon Musk appears in a cloud of smoke, mocking, with a joint of cannabis in his hand. Following this new release, NASA required written assurances that SpaceX was complying with the federal Drug-Free Workplace Act and forcing employees to undergo training against illicit substances.

Following the publication of the Wall Street Journal investigation, a lawyer for Musk, Alex Spiro, said that his client is "regularly and randomly tested at SpaceX and has never failed a test." »