Down Angle Symbol A symbol in the form of an angle pointing downwards. Elon Musk Alain Jocard/AFP via Getty Images
- Elon Musk shocked Tesla shareholders in 2018 when he announced he would take the company private.
- A new WSJ report revealed that while tweeting, some board members were concerned that he was using drugs.
- Musk may have been “under the influence” during an interview with the NYT following the tweet.
Tesla board members were privately concerned that Elon Musk may have been on drugs when he tweeted that he was considering taking the electric vehicle company private in 2018, sources familiar with the discussions told The Wall Street Journal.
Musk, who was still Tesla's CEO at the time, shocked shareholders in August 2018 when he suddenly announced on Twitter that he was “considering taking Tesla private for $420” – a figure that refers to marijuana.
“Funding secured,” he added.
Board members were surprised by Musk's message, The Journal reported, although previous reports claimed the Tesla CEO had raised the matter with the company's board a week before the tweet.
Now, some board members also appear to have privately expressed concerns that Musk tweeted while taking drugs and considered asking him for a leave of absence, according to a Journal report.
In an interview with The New York Times following the tweet, Musk said that leading Tesla had been “excruciating” and that last year had been “the most difficult and painful year” of his career.
The interview also included an account of how concerned Tesla's board was about Musk's use of Ambien and whether it might be contributing to his late-night Twitter habits.
Musk may also have been “under the influence” during the Times interview, sources familiar with the matter told The Journal, adding that Tesla's communications team didn't even know he planned to sit down with a reporter.
Although Musk has said he doesn't like taking illegal drugs, the billionaire is known to have used recreational drugs like marijuana and small doses of ketamine to treat depression.
The Journal reported that Musk took several tablets of LSD and psychedelic mushrooms in Mexico at a party he hosted in Los Angeles in 2019.
As The Journal reported last year, drug use is likely to be widespread in the sphere of power in Silicon Valley. Still, illegal drug use could be a concern for someone like Musk, whose rocket company SpaceX relies on billions of dollars in government contracts.
To obtain these contracts, companies must comply with the Drug-Free Workplace Act, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
The 2018 tweet also had its own consequences.
The Securities and Exchange Commission began investigating Musk's statement and soon filed a lawsuit that resulted in a $40 million penalty. Musk also agreed to step down as Tesla chairman, while Tesla appointed two independent directors to its board.
Musk's attorney, Alex Spiro, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider sent over the weekend.
NOW WATCH: Popular Videos from Insider Inc.
Is loading…