Elon Musk, the billionaire behind companies like Tesla and SpaceX, has been open in the past about using some drugs, but a new report suggests he may have used them much more often and in stronger amounts than people thought.
According to an investigation by the New York Times, people close to him have said that Musk used a wide range of substances, including a stimulant called Adderall, and that he sometimes carried a box with about 20 different pills in it.
These pills were not just regular medicine they included drugs like ketamine, which is often used medically for depression but also abused for its hallucinogenic effects.
Some people who spent time with Musk said he admitted that using ketamine was starting to affect his body, especially his bladder. He was also said to have used party drugs like Ecstasy and magic mushrooms, and sometimes even combined different drugs.
This heavy drug use reportedly happened during difficult times in his personal life, such as when he was having problems in his romantic relationships or going through legal fights involving his children.
While Musk has said that he uses ketamine occasionally with a doctor’s prescription to help with depression, he has denied taking too much. In a 2024 interview, he claimed that he only takes small doses once every two weeks or even less, and that it helps him deal with emotional lows while still allowing him to work up to 16 hours a day.
But the New York Times report challenges that claim, saying that his drug use was more frequent and included more serious substances like LSD and cocaine.
Some of the events where he used these drugs were private parties, and guests were often asked to sign agreements promising not to talk about what happened or to give up their phones so nothing could be recorded.
