Elon Musk defended his use of ketamine, saying it is helpful for getting him out of a negative frame of mind that ultimately benefits investors in Tesla.
Elon Musk Defends Ketamine Use During His Interview With Don Lemon
In an interview between former CNN host Don Lemon and Elon Musk aired earlier this week, ketamine, which is a dissociative anesthetic that has some hallucinogenic effects, was one of the many topics discussed.
Musk defended his prescription for ketamine, claiming that it helps alleviate a "negative chemical mind state" that benefits investors in Tesla, CBS News reported. Pointing to the electric vehicle maker's value as a publicly held company, the Tesla CEO suggested that the drug has helped him lead the firm.
"It's pretty private to ask somebody about a medical prescription... What matters is execution. Tesla is worth about as much as the rest of the car industry combined from nothing. From an investor's standpoint, if there is something I'm taking, I should keep taking it," Musk said.
Lemon followed up by asking the tech billionaire if he ever abuses ketamine, and Musk denied doing so, saying he only takes a "small amount once every other week."
He noted that he "can't really get wasted because I can't get my work done." He said his workload usually involves 16-hour days and working on the weekends. In August, Musk wrote on X that he has a prescription for ketamine, and he takes it when his brain "goes super negative."
On Monday, Tesla shares soared 6.3%. CBS reported that the shares plunged around 30% so far this year, compared with a 9% gain for the S&P 500 index.
Elon Musk Cancels 'The Don Lemon Show' on X
The interview concluded with Elon Musk's contentious exchange with Don Lemon regarding X's free speech policies and loss of advertisers. Musk defended X's commitment to freedom of speech, saying the platform would not censor content to appease advertisers, even if it means losing profits.
In November, the billionaire said fleeing advertisers could "kill the company" but also blasted businesses seeking to distance themselves from the social media platform because Musk supported an antisemitic comment on the platform.
When Lemon asked Musk about it, saying, "You said if they kill the company, it's done. But doesn't the buck stop with you?" Musk replied, "Choose your question carefully. There are five minutes left."
But Lemon repeated the question, and the billionaire responded: "I acquired X in order to preserve freedom of speech in America, the First Amendment. If that means making less money, so be it."
After a few minutes, Musk said he was upset at the way Lemon asked questions, adding that advertisers are returning to X and he feels "very optimistic about the future of the X platform."
Musk canceled "The Don Lemon Show" on his social media platform after he sat for the program's first interview. The X owner said he canceled the platform's partnership with Lemon because he did not like his "approach."
"His approach was basically just 'CNN, but on social media', which doesn't work, as evidenced by the fact that CNN is dying. And instead of it being the real Don Lemon, it was really just [former CNN chief] Jeff Zucker talking through Don, so it lacked authenticity. All this said, Lemon/Zucker are of course welcome to build their viewership on this platform along with everyone else," Musk wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
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