Elon Musk can be cautious about his alleged drug use. After bombshell reports about internal concerns over LSD, cocaine, ecstasy and ketamine use by executives at Tesla, SpaceX, Twitter and Neuralink, Musk's tone has always been, “That's not happening.” was. Recently, he has changed his mind. “Okay, okay, it's happening, but it's just ketamine for depression, and it's actually good for shareholders.” Musk has recently said his company is doing well and is in the running. He argued that if people were taking drugs, they should continue using drugs for the sake of capitalism. That logic may give some people pause, but Musk isn't the only one making that calculation. Many people have come to the idea that drugs are a legitimate way to get a job.
Professionals are increasingly using substances such as LSD, psilocybin, and ketamine as mechanisms to enhance performance. Start-up hustlers and working women are turning to “magic” mushrooms to be more productive and creative, relieve stress, or just get a hangover-free after-hours hustle. Is called. Some executives attend luxury psychedelic retreats and spend several days traveling through the woods, expanding and liberating their minds in ways they hope will expand and unlock business opportunities, just like Steve Jobs did. Some people are trying. The psychedelic market is a lucrative one, expected to reach $11 billion by 2027.
Drugs were once seen as dangerous, something that would hinder your success in life, or something you did just for fun. Nowadays, it is attracting more and more attention as a useful tool for work. People don't use it to get high, they use it to get ahead.
Greg Fonzo, co-director of the center, said: “The way people view things has flipped, going from a negative view to a view of, 'Wow, this is great,' and potentially everything. It's not unusual for people to come to see it as a good thing.” Psychedelic Research and Therapy at the Dell School of Medicine at the University of Texas at Austin told me. “The truth lies somewhere in between, right? No medicine works for everything, and most medicines aren't purely negative.”
Microdosing (meaning taking one-tenth the usual dose of a drug) is a popular trend among moms on the playground and those working in the office. Anecdotally, it can increase creativity, focus, productivity, and feel good at work. When you think about it scientifically, the story gets even more complicated.
Matthew Johnson, a senior researcher at Shepard Pratt University's Psilocybin Research and Treatment Center, said the jury is still out on whether and how microdosing works.Not enough research has been done and people To tell Research shows microdosing can help improve cognitive function and reduce anxiety, but some placebo-controlled trials suggest this may not actually be the case. do many.
“The science of microdosing so far is that we don't really know what's going on and whether it's all a placebo effect,” Johnson said.
You can also get mushrooms that contain a little more or a little less psilocybin. Depending on the day's activities, it may include more than expected.
In theory, microdosing takes place beyond perception. It's not like having a glass of wine to relax or a cup of coffee to wake up. Both have an immediate effect. Instead, the idea is that by taking small amounts over time without realizing it, you can expect long-term effects.
If people actually feel something off about what they've ingested, they may not be technically microdosing and may just be getting a little high from work. there is. One look at Reddit and you'll see people getting unintentionally “oops” high at work. This is because these drugs are difficult to measure accurately.
“If you get a mushroom with a little bit more psilocybin, or a mushroom with a little less psilocybin, you end up having a sensory experience, but depending on your activities that day, you might get more than you expected.” he said. Katrina Michelle is a clinical therapist in New York and former director of the harm reduction division of the Interdisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Research.
Of course, not everyone wants micro-experiences to improve their work performance. Some people are experimenting with psychedelics at macrodose levels. Some corporate elites seek out psychedelic retreats to improve their leadership skills, change perceptions, and in some cases deepen bonds with their teams.
Rob Glover and Gary Logan, founders of Journeymen Collective, which offers luxury guided magic mushroom retreats in Vancouver, British Columbia, say their company has inspired many executives, entrepreneurs and visionaries. The phrase “a conscious company” that does business in cooperation with intelligent people sounds fluffy.
“When leaders become conscious leaders and become aware of what is going on around them, they have more accurate thinking, clearer thinking, greater creativity, and the ability to lead differently. and lead in a more effective and efficient manner,” Glover said. “So we help people reset their mindsets at scale so they can have a big impact on their companies, their boards of directors, and their visions of what they do here.”
They work with people for a minimum of four months. That is, his one month period until the two-day “ceremony” is a period of preparation, followed by “consolidation” for his three months after the withdrawal. Their experiences, which start at $15,000 per person for group sessions, have seen a huge boom in recent years, with bookings increasing 183% from 2022 to 2023.
It seems like a great deal to go to the mountains, gain experience, and use it in your work. However, it is not a guaranteed result. Some people may stumble and realize they love their job again, while others may actually hate the corporate world and decide it's time for them.
“These are drugs that we don't necessarily have consistent expectations for,” Michel says. “It's very difficult to say for certain that psychedelic drugs have any significant effect on mental and emotional health.”
Some executives seem to have such strong convictions about the power of psychedelic retreats that they bring colleagues and business partners with them in hopes that it will unite everyone and move forward. The issue of team withdrawal and drug use is complex. Psychedelic experiences can be very intense and personal, and not something everyone wants in the workplace. There's also the issue of pressure and power dynamics. Those around Musk, including some on his board of directors, reportedly felt pressured to carry drugs to avoid upsetting him. My boss is a nice guy, but I don't want to vomit in front of him at an ayahuasca retreat because I'm sharing my deepest, darkest secrets, and I don't want to vomit in front of him to keep my job. I don't want to feel it.
We all know corporate etiquette. No matter how close and tight-knit your team is, once you come to a psychedelic retreat, there is nowhere to hide.
Justin Townsend, CEO and lead facilitator of MycoMeditations, which offers psilocybin-assisted retreats in Jamaica, says his services, which range from $6,500 to $23,000, help many of his clients become better leaders and become better professionally. He told me that he says it helps him perform. He's working on launching a retreat for business leaders, a prospect that requires special consideration. When a company calls and tells you they want to lay off five executives, it can get messy and difficult if you don't handle it correctly.
“We all know corporate etiquette. No matter how close and tight-knit your team is, once you come to a psychedelic retreat, there's nowhere to hide,” he said.
I asked him for advice on what to do if a situation like that were to fall at someone's feet. He considers the safety, effectiveness and legal status of his proposal, considers what his boss wants to achieve, whether there are alternative solutions, and considers his own personal boundaries. He said to do so. If it's not for you, “just say no,” he said.
Some of these dynamics are not new. Social pressure in the workplace is always present. Check out happy hour. So is the idea of enhancing performance via coffee (legal), Adderall (legal depending on how you get it), or cocaine (illegal).
My main concern is that people understand all the risks: bad trip risks, psychiatric risks, legal risks.
Matthew Johnson, Senior Research Scientist, Shepard Pratt Psilocybin Research and Treatment Center of Excellence
There are also socio-economic trends in the types of psychedelic substances that are prevalent in the workplace. Marijuana has been decriminalized in more jurisdictions than psilocybin, but you're still more likely to lose your job for smoking a joint at work than you are for eating a magic mushroom chocolate bar. However, you can still be fired for psychedelics. In 2021, a startup CEO was fired after saying he microdosed LSD at work. In any case, these three are still illegal under federal law. Many drugs can become even more dangerous because they are sometimes secretly laced with fentanyl. There are also questions about the effects of long-term use of psychedelic drugs on the heart.
“My main concern is that people understand all the risks: bad trip risks, psychiatric risks, legal risks,” Johnson said.
Whatever the risks and benefits, some elements of medicine as a work-enhancing tool seem here to stay, given a corporate world obsessed with optimization. Needless to say, the psychedelic industry can be lucrative, and many of the boring and tedious jobs could be made more bearable by any means possible.
Many business owners and employees have a bit of Elon Musk in them. It might be okay performance-wise to consider a little microdosing here or a quick trip. Mr. Townsend, who runs the Jamaican retreat, said he thought Mr. Musk would rather visit, given how much work he seems to do and uses ketamine to treat depression. He said he was there.
“I'd say give me Elon for a week and I'll give you another guy,” he said.
emily stewart As a senior correspondent for Business Insider, he writes about business and economics.
