The knives are coming out as Elon Musk exits the White House, with insiders spilling new details about his drug use and family drama.
The tech mogul bought himself a perch inside the White House by donating at least $275 million of his own money to get Donald Trump re-elected as president, but he alienated administration insiders and the president's allies with his drug use and erratic behavior, reported the New York Times.
"Mr. Musk’s drug consumption went well beyond occasional use," the Times reported. "He told people he was taking so much ketamine, a powerful anesthetic, that it was affecting his bladder, a known effect of chronic use. He took Ecstasy and psychedelic mushrooms. And he traveled with a daily medication box that held about 20 pills, including ones with the markings of the stimulant Adderall, according to a photo of the box and people who have seen it."
The newspaper was unable to confirm whether the 53-year-old Musk was taking drugs while working to slash government spending through his Department of Government Efficiency, but longtime associates have distanced themselves from him as he grew closer to Trump since last year's campaign.
"Last year, as he jumped into the political arena, some people who knew him worried about his frequent drug use, mood swings and fixation on having more children," the Times reported. "This account of his behavior is based on private messages obtained by The New York Times as well as interviews with more than a dozen people who have known or worked with him."
"This year, some of his longtime friends have renounced him, pointing to some of his public conduct," the report added.
Musk plays video games for hours on end and posts almost constantly, day or night, on his social media platform X, and sources familiar with his habits say the billionaire struggles with binge eating and takes weight-loss medication in addition to his documented history of using recreational drugs.
"Some board members at Tesla, his electric vehicle company, have worried about his use of drugs, including Ambien, a sleep medication," the Times reported.
The tech baron admitted in a March 2024 to taking ketamine about once every two weeks as a prescribed treatment for a mood disorder, saying that he was unable to work if he took it more often, but the Times found his habit was far more serious.
"Mr. Musk had been using ketamine often, sometimes daily, and mixing it with other drugs, according to people familiar with his consumption," the newspaper reported. "The line between medical use and recreation was blurry, troubling some people close to him."
"He also took Ecstasy and psychedelic mushrooms at private gatherings across the United States and in at least one other country, according to those who attended the events," the report added.