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OPINION: Elon Musk’s transparency about combating mental health is being used as a hit by MSM
Elon Musk’s wide-ranging interview with Don Lemon dropped on various platforms yesterday, and among one of the discussion points was the Tesla CEO’s use of ketamine to fight depression.
“You’ve admitted that you have a ketamine prescription,” Lemon, a former CNN anchor, asked Musk during the interview. “Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Musk replied.
Lemon dug into Musk’s reasoning for using the technique to fight depression. However, Musk seemed less than enthused to talk about his personal use of a doctor-prescribed medicine to fight what he called a “negative chemical state in my brain, depression, I guess.”
Feeling somewhat blindsided by the question, Musk made it clear it seemed like an invasion of personal privacy to ask about his prescriptions.
However, even though Musk was prescribed the treatment by a doctor to fight depression, mainstream media headlines have attacked the CEO for what they are describing as “drug use,” not giving any sort of context about the drugs, their effectiveness, or even the fact that they are prescribed by a doctor.
-->Instead, several outlets are leaving out key details, and in a culture where headlines are becoming all that people read, it seems misleading, scummy, and extremely wrong to leave out the fact that ketamine is not being used recreationally.
One headline, for example, reads:
“Elon Musk opens up about drug use, claims it helps him in running Tesla.”
The description of the article also reads:
“Elon Musk does not think drug usage will impact his companies, government contracts, or investor relations.”
-->Notice there is not a single mention of the fact that his “drug use” is prescribed and not recreational.
It is no secret that Musk’s viral clip of a singular puff of a joint that combined both marijuana and tobacco is still one of the highlighted points by many skeptics. In fact, the episode even caused his security clearances to be reviewed by some government agencies.
However, the lack of details in some outlets’ coverage of Musk’s ketamine use would leave the headline readers of the world to conclude that he is using drugs recreationally in an attempt to keep his daily tasks under a manageable state. In reality, Musk said he uses “a small amount once every other week, or something like that.”
Perhaps a hot take here: I think Musk talking about his mental health battle was super awesome and he showed that he combats issues with his mind every day.
With that being said, I feel like he was definitely put on the spot here and there should have been some notice that this… https://t.co/ztj9Vo5GKL
— Joey Klender (@KlenderJoey) March 18, 2024
The coverage from media outlets proves that Musk, who also said that people with depression should consider methods that are alternatives to traditional selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI).
Medicine is obviously a case-by-case basis, but as someone who has battled both depression and anxiety for the duration of my 29 years on Earth, it is upsetting to see someone be attacked for using techniques that work for them. This is not a case of a person using recreational drugs to manage day-to-day stress. It is, in Musk’s words, “literally a prescription from a real doctor.”
Elon Musk’s Neuralink and what it means for anxiety and depression
People who have followed Tesla for basically any period of time know that the company is routinely under fire for things like recalls, car accidents, and other things.
-->However, attacking the company CEO over his mental health battle and the techniques used to combat a mental health condition that is very widespread is a low blow.
In America, we have come a long way in the battle against mental health ailments. Once considered a taboo topic, mental health conditions are generally accepted by society now as regular and routine issue that a lot of people deal with. According to National Institute of Mental Health, more than 50 million Americans deal with some kind of mental health issue. This is roughly one in five adults, and this only accounts for those who actually get help for their issues.
In my opinion, Musk being transparent about his mental health and his strategies to combat it was a huge win, because many people look up to him. It is perfectly okay to not be okay, even when you’re one of the most innovative minds in modern history.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on this matter. Email us at tips@teslarati.com, or you can email me directly at joey@teslarati.com. I’m also on X @KlenderJoey.
-->
News
Tesla Model 3 named New Zealand’s best passenger car of 2025
Tesla flipped the switch on Full Self-Driving (Supervised) in September, turning every Model 3 and Model Y into New Zealand’s most advanced production car overnight.
The refreshed Tesla Model 3 has won the DRIVEN Car Guide AA Insurance NZ Car of the Year 2025 award in the Passenger Car category, beating all traditional and electric rivals.
Judges praised the all-electric sedan’s driving dynamics, value-packed EV tech, and the game-changing addition of Full Self-Driving (Supervised) that went live in New Zealand this September.
Why the Model 3 clinched the crown
DRIVEN admitted they were late to the “Highland” party because the updated sedan arrived in New Zealand as a 2024 model, just before the new Model Y stole the headlines. Yet two things forced a re-evaluation this year.
First, experiencing the new Model Y reminded testers how many big upgrades originated in the Model 3, such as the smoother ride, quieter cabin, ventilated seats, rear touchscreen, and stalk-less minimalist interior. Second, and far more importantly, Tesla flipped the switch on Full Self-Driving (Supervised) in September, turning every Model 3 and Model Y into New Zealand’s most advanced production car overnight.
FSD changes everything for Kiwi buyers
The publication called the entry-level rear-wheel-drive version “good to drive and represents a lot of EV technology for the money,” but highlighted that FSD elevates it into another league. “Make no mistake, despite the ‘Supervised’ bit in the name that requires you to remain ready to take control, it’s autonomous and very capable in some surprisingly tricky scenarios,” the review stated.
-->At NZ$11,400, FSD is far from cheap, but Tesla also offers FSD (Supervised) on a $159 monthly subscription, making the tech accessible without the full upfront investment. That’s a game-changer, as it allows users to access the company’s most advanced system without forking over a huge amount of money.
News
Tesla starts rolling out FSD V14.2.1 to AI4 vehicles including Cybertruck
FSD V14.2.1 was released just about a week after the initial FSD V14.2 update was rolled out.
It appears that the Tesla AI team burned the midnight oil, allowing them to release FSD V14.2.1 on Thanksgiving. The update has been reported by Tesla owners with AI4 vehicles, as well as Cybertruck owners.
For the Tesla AI team, at least, it appears that work really does not stop.
FSD V14.2.1
Initial posts about FSD V14.2.1 were shared by Tesla owners on social media platform X. As per the Tesla owners, V14.2.1 appears to be a point update that’s designed to polish the features and capacities that have been available in FSD V14. A look at the release notes for FSD V14.2.1, however, shows that an extra line has been added.
“Camera visibility can lead to increased attention monitoring sensitivity.”
Whether this could lead to more drivers being alerted to pay attention to the roads more remains to be seen. This would likely become evident as soon as the first batch of videos from Tesla owners who received V14.21 start sharing their first drive impressions of the update. Despite the update being released on Thanksgiving, it would not be surprising if first impressions videos of FSD V14.2.1 are shared today, just the same.
-->Rapid FSD releases
What is rather interesting and impressive is the fact that FSD V14.2.1 was released just about a week after the initial FSD V14.2 update was rolled out. This bodes well for Tesla’s FSD users, especially since CEO Elon Musk has stated in the past that the V14.2 series will be for “widespread use.”
FSD V14 has so far received numerous positive reviews from Tesla owners, with numerous drivers noting that the system now drives better than most human drivers because it is cautious, confident, and considerate at the same time. The only question now, really, is if the V14.2 series does make it to the company’s wide FSD fleet, which is still populated by numerous HW3 vehicles.
News
Waymo rider data hints that Tesla’s Cybercab strategy might be the smartest, after all
These observations all but validate Tesla’s controversial two-seat Cybercab strategy, which has caught a lot of criticism since it was unveiled last year.
Toyota Connected Europe designer Karim Dia Toubajie has highlighted a particular trend that became evident in Waymo’s Q3 2025 occupancy stats. As it turned out, 90% of the trips taken by the driverless taxis carried two or fewer passengers.
These observations all but validate Tesla’s controversial two-seat Cybercab strategy, which has caught a lot of criticism since it was unveiled last year.
Toyota designer observes a trend
Karim Dia Toubajie, Lead Product Designer (Sustainable Mobility) at Toyota Connected Europe, analyzed Waymo’s latest California Public Utilities Commission filings and posted the results on LinkedIn this week.
“90% of robotaxi trips have 2 or less passengers, so why are we using 5-seater vehicles?” Toubajie asked. He continued: “90% of trips have 2 or less people, 75% of trips have 1 or less people.” He accompanied his comments with a graphic showing Waymo’s occupancy rates, which showed 71% of trips having one passenger, 15% of trips having two passengers, 6% of trips having three passengers, 5% of trips having zero passengers, and only 3% of trips having four passengers.
The data excludes operational trips like depot runs or charging, though Toubajie pointed out that most of the time, Waymo’s massive self-driving taxis are really just transporting 1 or 2 people, at times even no passengers at all. “This means that most of the time, the vehicle being used significantly outweighs the needs of the trip,” the Toyota designer wrote in his post.
-->Cybercab suddenly looks perfectly sized
Toubajie gave a nod to Tesla’s approach. “The Tesla Cybercab announced in 2024, is a 2-seater robotaxi with a 50kWh battery but I still believe this is on the larger side of what’s required for most trips,” he wrote.
With Waymo’s own numbers now proving 90% of demand fits two seats or fewer, the wheel-less, lidar-free Cybercab now looks like the smartest play in the room. The Cybercab is designed to be easy to produce, with CEO Elon Musk commenting that its product line would resemble a consumer electronics factory more than an automotive plant. This means that the Cybercab could saturate the roads quickly once it is deployed.
While the Cybercab will likely take the lion’s share of Tesla’s ride-hailing passengers, the Model 3 sedan and Model Y crossover would be perfect for the remaining 9% of riders who require larger vehicles. This should be easy to implement for Tesla, as the Model Y and Model 3 are both mass-market vehicles.
Tesla Model 3 named New Zealand’s best passenger car of 2025
Tesla starts rolling out FSD V14.2.1 to AI4 vehicles including Cybertruck
