Tesla CEO dismisses suggestion his drug use may affect the perceptions of buyers.
Elon Musk has defended taking ketamine to deal with his “unfavorable mind set,” suggesting that his prescribed use of the drug benefitted Tesla’s buyers.
In an at-times tense interview with former CNN host Don Lemon, Musk stated that he finds anaesthetic useful when he’s affected by a “unfavorable chemical state”.
“There are occasions when I’ve… melancholy that’s not linked to any unfavorable information, after which ketamine is useful for getting one outdoors out of a unfavorable mind set,” Musk stated throughout an interview launched on X on Monday.
Requested if he thought he had ever abused the drug, Musk, who owns X and runs Tesla and SpaceX, stated he didn’t suppose so and that he solely takes a “small quantity” as soon as each different week or so.
“In case you’ve used an excessive amount of ketamine, you’ll be able to’t actually get work carried out and I’ve lots of work – I’m sometimes placing in 16-hour days. That’s regular for me,” Musk stated.
“I can’t actually get wasted as a result of I can’t get my work carried out,” he added.
The Don Lemon Present episode 1: Elon Musk
TIMESTAMPS:
(02:23) Information on X
(10:07) Donald Trump and Endorsing a Candidate
(13:04) The New Tesla Roadster
(16:46) Leisure and Video Video games
(17:54) Tweeting and Drug Use
(23:19) The Nice Substitute Concept
(30:03) Content material Moderation… pic.twitter.com/bLRae4DhyO— Don Lemon (@donlemon) March 18, 2024
Musk additionally dismissed the suggestion that his drug use may have an effect on his authorities contracts or the perceptions of buyers on Wall Avenue.
“Tesla is price about as a lot as the remainder of the automobile trade mixed, from nothing. That’s fairly good. We had the best-selling automobile on Earth final yr. So from buyers’ standpoint, if there’s something I’m taking, I ought to hold taking it,” he stated.
Musk added that he had mentioned his ketamine use prior to now as a result of he thought it may assist different folks.
The 52-year-old billionaire additionally mentioned assembly former United States President Donald Trump in March, which he stated took place after an impromptu go to by the Republican candidate to his pal’s home.
“President Trump likes to speak. And so we talked. I don’t recall him saying something that he hasn’t publicly,” Musk stated, including that Trump had not requested a political donation or different monetary assist.
Musk stated he could endorse a candidate for November’s presidential election within the “closing stretch” however had not but made up his thoughts.
The South African-born naturalised US citizen stated he was not leaning in the direction of a candidate however was “leaning away” from US President Joe Biden.
X introduced a content material partnership with Lemon in January however Musk abruptly cancelled “The Don Lemon Present” final week forward of the airing of the primary episode.
Lemon, whose interview with Musk included a tense alternate on the problem of hate speech on X, stated the Tesla CEO’s acknowledged dedication to free speech “appears to not embody questions of him from folks like me”.
Musk stated afterward X that Lemon’s strategy was “mainly simply ‘CNN, however on social media’” and “lacked authenticity”.