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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.
Elon Musk
Tesla board reveals reasoning for CEO Elon Musk’s new $1 trillion pay package
“Yes, you read that correctly: in 2018, Elon had to grow Tesla by billions; in 2025, he has to grow Tesla by trillions — to be exact, he must create nearly $7.5 trillion in value for shareholders for him to receive the full award.”

Tesla’s Board of Directors has proposed a new pay package for company CEO Elon Musk that would result in $1 trillion in stock offerings if he is able to meet several lofty performance targets.
Musk, who has not been meaningfully compensated since 2017, completed his last pay package by delivering billions in shareholder value through a variety of performance-based “tranches,” which were met and resulted in the award of billions in stock.
Elon Musk’s new pay plan ties trillionaire status to Tesla’s $8.5 trillion valuation
However, Musk was unable to claim this award due to a ruling by the Delaware Chancery Court, which deemed the payout an “unfathomable sum.”
Now, the company is taking steps to ensure Musk gets paid, as the Board feels that it is crucial to retain its CEO, who has been responsible for much of the company’s success.
This is not a statement to undermine the work of all of Tesla’s terrific employees, but a ship needs to be captained by someone, and Musk has proven he is the right person for the job.
The Board also believes that, based on a statement made by the company in its proxy, various issues will be discussed during the upcoming Shareholder Meeting.
Robyn Denholm and Kathleen Wilson-Thompson recognized Musk’s contributions in a statement, which encouraged shareholders to vote to approve the payout:
“We’re asking you to approve the 2025 CEO Performance Award. In designing the new performance award, we explored numerous alternatives. Ultimately, the new award aims to build upon the success of the 2018 CEO Performance Award framework, which ensure that Elon was only paid for the performance delivered and incentivized to guide Tesla through a period of meteoric growth. The 2025 CEO Performance Award similarly challegnes Elon to again meet a series of even more aspirational goals, including operational milestones focused on reaching Adjusted EBITDA targets (thresholds that are up to 28 times higher than the 2108 CEO Performance Award’s top Adjusted EBITDA milestone) and rolling out new or expanded product offerings (including 1 million Robotaxis in commercial operation and delivery of 1 million AI Bots), all while growing the company’s market capitalization by trillions of dollars.
Yes, you read that correctly: in 2018, Elon had to grow Tesla by billions; in 2025, he has to grow Tesla by trillions — to be exact, he must create nearly $7.5 trillion in value for shareholders for him to receive the full award.
In addition to these unprecedented performance milestones, the 2025 CEO Performance Award also includes innovative structural features, born out of the special committee’s considered analysis and extensive shareholder feedback. These features include supercharged retention (at least seven and a half years and up to 10 years to vest in the full award), structural protections to minimize stock price volatility due to administration of this award and, thereafter, incentives for Elon to participate in the Board’s continued development of a framework for long-term CEO Succession. If Elon achieves all the performance milestones under this principle-based 2025 CEO Performance Award, his leadership will propel Tesla to become the most valuable company in history.”
Musk will have a lot of things to accomplish to receive the 423,743,904 shares, which are divided into 12 tranches.
However, the Board feels he is the right person for the job, and they want him to remain the CEO. This package should ensure that he stays with Tesla, as long as shareholders feel the same way.
News
Tesla Robotaxi app download rate demolishes Uber, Waymo all-time highs
After two and a half months of testing with a group of hand-picked Tesla influencers and some media, the company has officially launched Robotaxi rides in both Austin, Texas, and the California Bay Area to the public.

Tesla launched its Robotaxi app to the general public yesterday, and the number of downloads is a testament to the platform’s high demand for testing.
After two and a half months of testing with a group of hand-picked Tesla influencers and some media, the company has officially launched Robotaxi rides in both Austin, Texas, and the California Bay Area to the public.
Tesla Robotaxi makes major expansion with official public app launch
Downloading the app is available to iOS users, so if you have an iPhone, you can get it and join the waitlist. Tesla has not yet launched the Robotaxi app for the Android platform, but did hint that it would be coming soon.
The testing phase with the group Tesla selected has gone well. In Austin, the City has only listed one “Safety Concern” with Robotaxi during the testing phase. For the most part, things have gone extremely well, and riders have had good things to say.
Tesla is still operating with some safeguards in place, such as Safety Monitors and Safety Drivers, but these are precautionary and temporary; CEO Elon Musk has said they should be removed by the end of the year.
Elon Musk says Tesla will take Safety Drivers out of Robotaxi: here’s when
Even still, Tesla Robotaxi is something that many people want to experience, and the app downloads prove it.
The Tesla Robotaxi app was downloaded at a rate that exceeded all rolling 30-day periods of both Uber and Waymo, according to Brett Winton of ARK Invest. Tesla’s Robotaxi’s first day on the App Store exceeded Uber’s by 40 percent and Waymo’s best download day ever by six times:
Today’s Tesla Robotaxi App downloads outpaced Uber across all rolling 30 day periods by 40% and bested Waymo’s best download day ever by >6x pic.twitter.com/s9s1XTsUu2
— Brett Winton (@wintonARK) September 5, 2025
The surge in downloads is a good indication of how in demand the Robotaxi suite was, as many people within the community had vocalized their requests to try the platform, but Tesla was not ready to expand it beyond its handpicked group.
The expansion of the program will result in more rides, provided Tesla continues to expand its fleet of vehicles. It has already admitted many of those who were initially placed on the waitlist.
News
Elon Musk’s xAI expands to Seattle with salaries up to $440,000
The move was announced by the artificial intelligence startup and Elon Musk on social media platform X.

Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence startup xAI is opening a new office in Seattle as it accelerates its global expansion.
The move was announced by the artificial intelligence startup and Elon Musk on social media platform X. xAI is also hiring for its first positions in the new site.
New Seattle office
As could be seen on xAI’s Careers webpage, the Seattle office is currently hiring for three engineering roles. Each of the three technical roles tied to the new site carry salaries ranging from $180,000 to $440,000.
The new office adds to xAI’s growing presence, which now spans San Francisco, Austin, London, Dublin, New York, and Memphis. The Seattle-based roles focus on video and image generation systems, signaling Musk’s intent to challenge rivals like OpenAI and Meta in generative AI.
Pressures and challenges
Seattle also places xAI within reach of Microsoft’s headquarters in Redmond. Microsoft has emerged as a central player in the AI race through its multibillion-dollar partnership with OpenAI, making xAI’s move into the region notable. The competition for AI specialists has pushed salaries higher across the industry, with filings showing OpenAI staff earning up to $530,000 and Anthropic engineers as much as $690,000 annually, as noted by Insider.
The startup has also seen some high-profile departures in recent months, including cofounder Igor Babuschkin and general counsel Robert Keele. Still, xAI continues to grow aggressively, and its Grok large language model has been gaining momentum among mainstream users. Work also continues to be underway to further build out the company’s Colossus supercomputer cluster. Reports have also suggested that xAI has moved into San Francisco offices in the Mission District, a site Musk initially leased during OpenAI’s early years.
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