Elon Musk's unorthodox behavior, attributed by some to his creativity, mental health, and stress-induced sleep deprivation, has led to uneasiness among his close associates over his drug use.
Linda Johnson Rice, a former director at Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA), for example, decided not to seek reelection to the electric car company's board due to concerns about Musk's substance use and unpredictable behavior, according to a recent report by The Wall Street Journal.
Rice, who served on Tesla's board for a two-year term ending in 2019, reportedly confided in fellow board members on more than one occasion regarding her worries related to Musk's drug use.
The report noted that Rice even informally suggested that the board should consider investigating Musk's purported drug use, which includes substances like ketamine, LSD, cocaine, and ecstasy, according to individuals familiar with the matter. However, her concerns were not acted upon.
The outlet's comprehensive report shed light on how executives within Musk's various companies have grappled with managing his drug use and unpredictable public appearances and statements.
At Tesla, some current directors have sought assistance from Musk's brother, Kimbal Musk, related to Elon Musk's behavior, but they have been cautious not to explicitly mention "drugs" in discussions about their concerns, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The report also highlighted speculations from some individuals who believed that Elon Musk may have been under the influence when he tweeted in 2018 that he had "funding secured" to take Tesla private at $420 a share.
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This tweet had a significant impact on Tesla's stock price, resulting in an SEC investigation and $40 million in fines against Elon Musk, although he did not admit wrongdoing.
The billionaire entrepreneur has made various statements about his drug use, including claims that he occasionally microdoses ketamine.
He has also been seen using the drug recreationally and publicly stated that, in his opinion, ketamine "is a better option" than treating depression with SSRIs.
Additionally, Elon Musk famously smoked weed with Joe Rogan during a podcast, which prompted NASA to conduct a safety review of SpaceX and require drug tests for the entire company for a year.
The Wall Street Journal quoted an attorney for Elon Musk, Alex Spiro, who said that the SpaceX and Tesla CEO is "regularly and randomly drug tested at SpaceX and has never failed a test."
Spiro added in response to the publication's detailed questions that "there are other false facts" in The Wall Street Journal's article but didn't detail them.
Space X, Tesla, Rice, Rogan, and Spiro did not respond immediately to requests for comment from Benzinga.
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This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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