Hey everybody, welcome back to the Elon Musk Podcast. This is a show where we discuss the critical crossroads that shape SpaceX, Tesla X, The Boring Company, and Neuralink. And I'm your host, Will Walden. Controversy surrounds Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX and Tesla over allegations of drug use, including incidents involving cocaine, LSD and ketamine. Now these claims have raised concerns about Musk's well-being and the potential impact on his companies and their
stakeholders. Musk, however, refutes these allegations, sitting that three years of random drug testing by NASA found no evidence of drug or alcohol use. The situation gained traction after Musk smoked marijuana on the Joe Rogan Podcast in 2018, and following this, NASA requested that Musk undergo random drug testing for three years, to which he agreed. According to Musk, these tests showed no traces of drugs or alcohol.
Now this response comes amidst a Wall Street Journal report suggesting ongoing drug use and abuse by Musk, a claim he denies. A Musk's reaction to the WSG report was dismissive and critical, labeling the report as unworthy and using a poop emoji to express his disdain. Despite his rebuttals, stories and speculations about his drug
use continue to surface. These include concerns expressed by Tesla board members and reports of erratic behavior attributed to drug influence, such as his tweet about taking Tesla private. Now NASA's involvement escalated after Musk's appearance on Rogan's podcast, leading to a $5,000,000 probe into his drug use. This investigation aimed to ensure compliance with the Drug Free Workplace requirements of Spacex's $14 billion government
contracts. The results of this investigation, however, remain undisclosed. Representatives for Musk and his companies, including SpaceX, Tesla, and X, formerly Twitter, have not provided immediate responses to inquiries about these allegations. Musk himself has been relatively quiet on the issue, aside from his dismissive tweet following the WSG article.
Now, in defense of Musk, a post on X highlighted his compliance with NASA's drug testing request, and Musk emphasized that the test over three years found no trace of drugs or alcohol. His attorney, Alex Bureau, did not immediately respond to any requests from the Wall Street Journal report either. Now, the Wall Street Journal's reporting has stirred significant discussion, though, with claims of Musk's use of various drugs, including cocaine
and ketamine. Now, despite these allegations, the Journal stands by its reporting. The situation has reportedly caused unease among senior figures at Musk's companies, with a Tesla board director even opting not to run for re election due to concern over Musk's alleged drug use. The Wall Street Journal report also suggested that SpaceX executives worried about Musk's state during a company meeting, hinting at possible drug
influence. This incident, coupled with Musk controversial tweet about Tesla going private, has escalated concerns about his behavior and its potential impact on his companies. Musk's admission of using small doses of ketamine for depression and his infamous smoking incident on Rogan's podcast prompted NASA to investigate his drug use, and so far the results are unknown, and it was part of NASA's commitment to ensuring that the place was drug free.
SpaceX was drug free. They're building rockets for the Artemis program. They have to be drug free and also they're sending people to the International Space Station and satellites with their Falcon 9 rockets. Now Musk has acknowledged SpaceX employees compliance with drug testing requirements following the Rogan incident. This adherence was crucial to SpaceX. Being a NASA contractor had to uphold laws pertaining to drug
free workplaces. Musk's comments suggest his awareness of legal and contractual obligations related to drug use and NASA's investigation into Spacex's workplace safety, including drug use, was extensive. It covered multiple SpaceX facilities. It involved interviews with a significant number of employees, hundreds of employees, and despite the thorough nature of this probe, the results have been heavily redacted, with NASA citing confidentiality and competitive concerns.
Now, a report for the Business Insider and their efforts to obtain details of the NASA probe face challenges, with initial responses from the agency indicating no records of the assessments Results. However, further insistence led to the release of some documents. Although heavily redacted, this has sparked further curiosity about the investigation's findings. Now, the probe scope included Spacex's commitment to safety and health practices, particularly in the context of
transporting astronauts. The NASA letter initiated the review highlighted the importance of safety in the US space program and the need for compliance with industry standards and legal requirements. Despite the extensive nature and cost of the investigation, NASA has opted not to publicly release all the results, citing the proprietary nature of the information.
This decision has left many questions unanswered regarding the findings of the probe in its implications for SpaceX and Elon Musk. Now, William Gerstenmeyer, the NASA administrator who requested the review, left the agency after the conclusion of the probe. He later joined SpaceX as the vice president of Build and flight reliability, a move that adds an interesting twist to the narrative surrounding this investigation And there's an ongoing controversy surrounding Elon Musk's drug use.
And while Musk denies any wrongdoing, the context of the allegations and the involvement of organizations like NASA show that this issue remains an important and unresolved aspect of his public and professional life. Hey, thank you so much for listening today. I really do appreciate your support. If you could take a second and hit the subscribe or the follow button on whatever podcast platform that you're listening on right now, I greatly appreciate it.
It helps out the show tremendously and you'll never miss an episode, and each episode is about 10 minutes or less to get you caught up quickly. And please, if you want to support the show even more, go to patreon.com/stage Zero and please take care of yourselves and each other. I'll see you tomorrow.