Elon Musk smoking a joint.
The Joe Rogan Experience
Tesla CEO Elon Musk is trending on Twitter again, this time for smoking a blunt.
The billionaire entrepreneur smoked marijuana toward the end of a more than two-and-half-hour live interview Thursday on comedian Joe Rogan’s podcast, the Joe Rogan Experience. The conversation touched on everything from flamethrowers to electric cars to artificial intelligence.
“I think I tried one once,” said Musk, when asked if he had ever smoked a mix of weed and tobacco. “I mean, it’s legal right?” Musk then took a single puff from the joint offered by Rogan. The interview was filmed in Los Angeles, where marijuana is legal under state law.
It’s unusual for a CEO of a public company to smoke weed on camera, but this is just the latest instance of atypical CEO behavior. In July, Musk tweeted that a British diver who helped with the rescue of a Thai soccer team trapped in a cave was a “pedo guy.” His original tweet was deleted, but Musk has revived the unsupported claim multiple times. Musk also caused a stir when he tweeted in August that he wanted to take Tesla private. This reportedly led to an SEC investigation.
While Musk’s recent action may have raised concerns, some Tesla board members are aware that he has on occasion used recreational drugs, reported The New York Times in August.
“I’m getting text messages from friends saying, ‘What the hell are you doing smoking weed?'” Musk said later on in the Rogan interview. “I’m not a regular smoker of weed… I know a lot of people like weed, and that’s fine. But I don’t think it’s very good for productivity. Not for me.”
Musk’s representative didn’t respond to a request for comment.
On Friday, Tesla’s stock dropped as much as 10 percent after it was revealed that both the company’s chief accounting officer, Dave Morton, and its head of human resources, Gabrielle Toledano, were leaving the electric carmaker. Morton gave notice on Tuesday of this week, less than a month into his tenure. Toledano joined Tesla in May 2017, but had been on a leave of absence since last month.
Musk’s interview with Rogan also caught people’s attention on Twitter. “Elon Musk” was trending Friday morning in the US, with people expressing some mixed reactions.
Dear East Coast Twitter;
I know it is the middle of the night, but when you wake up, you will wake up to Elon Musk hitting a blunt, and this is the best gift I think you can get.
— Emily G (@EmilyGorcenski) September 7, 2018
Elon Musk is changing the bounds of what we thought was possible. He smoked weed and somehow got even LESS cool. Our theoretical models are smashed pieces. Amazing.
— keith (@usarsnl) September 7, 2018
Watch this: We pick up the flamethrower from Elon Musk’s Boring Company
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First published Sept. 7, 8:08 a.m. PT.
Update, 10:35 a.m. PT: Adds more information on Tesla stock drop.
Update, 12:04 p.m. PT: Adds background.
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