Elon Musk rails against popular antidepressant, reveals drug he uses when his brain chemistry 'goes super negative'



Elon Musk criticized a popular type of antidepressant, while at the same time revealing what drug he uses when his brain chemistry "goes super negative."

On Friday night, British rapper Zuby wrote on Twitter: "I just saw a TV ad for anti-depression medication and the listed side effects included SUICIDAL THOUGHTS, stroke, heart attacks, and death."

Musk replied to Zuby: "I have serious concerns about SSRIs, as they tend to zombify people."

Musk admitted that he occasionally uses the drug ketamine.

"Occasional use of ketamine is a much better option, in my opinion," Musk tweeted. "I have a prescription for when my brain chemistry sometimes goes super negative."

— (@)

A Wall Street Journal speculated that Musk used ketamine in an article published in June. The article claimed that Silicon Valley entrepreneurs – such as Musk and Google cofounder Sergey Brin – use psychedelics and similar substances such as ketamine, LSD, and psilocybin.

The WSJ reported, "The account of Musk’s drug use comes from people who witnessed him use ketamine and others with direct knowledge of his use."

Ketamine is a "dissociative injected anesthetic (blocks sensory perception) that has been available by prescription in the U.S. since the 1970s for human and veterinary uses," according to Drugs.com.

The site adds, "Prescription ketamine is available in a clear liquid or off-white powder form for intravenous injection or as a nasal spray."

"Ketamine is generally considered safe, including for those who are experiencing suicidal ideation (thoughts or plans for suicide)," wrote Dr. Peter Grinspoon in Harvard Health Publishing – the consumer health education division of Harvard Medical School. "The main side effects are dissociation, intoxication, sedation, high blood pressure, dizziness, headache, blurred vision, anxiety, nausea, and vomiting."

Grinspoon warned against ketamine use by people with a history of schizophrenia, substance use disorder, pregnant women, older adults with symptoms of dementia, and teenagers.

Speaking of people suffering from serious depression, Grinspoon said, "Ketamine can provide help and hope to patients who have not found relief with any other treatments. Given its efficacy in people considering suicide, it is plausible that ketamine may be lifesaving."

A Yale Medicine article on how ketamine could help with depression:

Interestingly, studies from Yale research labs showed that the drug ketamine, which was widely used as anesthesia during surgeries, triggers glutamate production, which, in a complex, cascading series of events, prompts the brain to form new neural connections. This makes the brain more adaptable and able to create new pathways, and gives patients the opportunity to develop more positive thoughts and behaviors. This was an effect that had not been seen before, even with traditional antidepressants.

Musk has previously railed against SSRIs – which stands for Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors.

"SSRI antidepressants are a type of antidepressant that have been shown to increase levels of serotonin within the brain," according to Drugs.com.

Musk said in June, "Depression is overdiagnosed in the US, but for some people it really is a brain chemistry issue. But zombifying people with SSRIs for sure happens way too much. From what I’ve seen with friends, ketamine taken occasionally is a better option."

In 2018, Musk faced scrutiny for smoking marijuana during an appearance on "The Joe Rogan Experience" podcast.

Musk has a net worth of more than $232 billion – making him the richest person in the world, according to Forbes' real-time billionaires list.

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Elon Musk reportedly told banks he plans to slash pay of Twitter executives, charge for tweets, and has a new CEO lined up



Elon Musk has major changes planned for when he takes over Twitter, according to a new report. Musk reportedly unveiled the sweeping revisions in his pitch to banks, which included slashing the pay of Twitter executives, charging for tweets, and installing a new CEO at the social media platform.

Musk – who has a net worth of $246 billion – told the lenders that he has a plan to develop new methods to monetize the social media network, three anonymous sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.

One of the proposed ideas is to charge third-party websites for tweets that are quoted or embedded from verified individuals or organizations – especially "tweets that contain important information or go viral."

To make Twitter more profitable, Musk reportedly told banks that he intends to slash the salaries of executives and board members.

Earlier this month, Musk tweeted that Twitter's board directors would not be paid, adding, "So that’s ~$3M/year saved right there."

Board salary will be $0 if my bid succeeds, so that\u2019s ~$3M/year saved right there
— Elon Musk (@Elon Musk) 1650290963

Possibly on the chopping block is Twitter's top lawyer. Vijaya Gadde – Twitter's head of legal, policy, and trust – reportedly made $17 million in 2021.

According to the report, Musk told Twitter chairman Bret Taylor that he does not have confidence in the company’s management.

In SEC filings, Musk declared, "I don’t have confidence in management nor do I believe I can drive the necessary change in the public market, I would need to reconsider my position as a shareholder."

Musk purportedly plans to let go of Twitter's current CEO – Parag Agrawal. Musk allegedly already has a new Twitter chief executive lined up, but the report did not name the alleged candidate.

"The company’s current CEO Parag Agrawal would also be set for a significant compensation package if the deal closes," TechCrunch reported. "If Musk were to bring in new management, Agrawal would receive $38.7 million due to a clause in his contract, according to the company’s latest proxy filing. Agrawal’s total compensation for 2021 was $30.4 million, largely in stock awards."

Bloomberg reported on Thursday, "As he negotiated a $44 billion deal to acquire Twitter Inc. , Elon Musk told bankers that he would be focused on the social-media company's bottom line, and floated the idea of cutting both costs and jobs, according to people familiar with the matter."

The Washington Post reported that Musk is toying with the idea of paying influencers to create content for the platform – much like TikTok and YouTube.

In order to secure financing of $44 billion to acquire Twitter, Musk allegedly told banks that Twitter has a much lower gross margin than other successful social media platforms such as Facebook and Pinterest, so there is plenty of room to grow.

In tweets that were posted earlier this month and subsequently deleted, Musk proposed lowering the price of the Twitter Blue subscription service. The Tesla CEO also suggested banning advertising on the microblogging platform.

"Musk had to convince the banks that Twitter produced enough cash flow to service the debt he sought. In the end, he clinched $13 billion in loans secured against Twitter and a $12.5 billion margin loan tied to his Tesla stock," Reuters reported. "He agreed to pay for the remainder of the consideration with his own cash."

"The $13 billion Twitter loan is equivalent to seven times Twitter's 2022 projected earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization," the outlet added. "This was too risky for some banks who decided to participate only in the margin loan, the sources said."

Musk has repeatedly stressed that he wants to allow users to have as much free speech as their jurisdiction allows.

Elon Musk trolls Bill Gates as a 'pregnant man;' leaked texts show SpaceX CEO stiffing the Microsoft founder for betting against Tesla



Elon Musk with a net worth of nearly $270 billion, and Bill Gates with a net worth of $130 billion, are the two of the top four richest people in the world. However, the rivalry doesn't stop at which billionaire has the deepest pockets. Musk was purportedly perturbed by Gates having little faith in the future of Tesla, so the SpaceX CEO left the Microsoft founder high and dry.

Alleged leaked text messages show a back-and-forth between the two billionaires that ends on a sour note. What began as a philanthropic opportunity ended with Musk telling Gates to get lost.

Screenshots of an alleged text message conversation between Gates and Musk was shared on Twitter by an account named "Whole Mars Catalog."

The purported text messages begin with Gates arranging a meeting with Musk to discuss philanthropy on climate change. Gates appears to confirm a day and time to speak with Musk about an opportunity – to which Musk responded, "Great." Gates told the Tesla CEO that he "just landed," and Musk replied, "Cool."

Musk then reportedly texted Gates, "Do you still have a half billion dollar short position against Tesla?"

Gates answered, "Sorry to say I haven't closed it out."

"I would like to discuss philanthropy possibilities," Gates told Musk, according to screenshots of the conversation.

Musk then purportedly put a kibosh on the entire meet-up because Gates was betting against Tesla.

"Sorry, but I cannot take your philanthropy on climate change seriously when you have a massive short position against Tesla, the company doing the most to solve climate change," Musk allegedly declared.

So apparently Bill Gates hit up @elonmusk to discuss \u201cphilanthropy on climate change\u201d but Elon asked if he still had a half billion dollar short position on $TSLA. \n\nBill said he hasn\u2019t closed it out, so Elon told him to get lost. No idea if this is true lolpic.twitter.com/iuHkDG3bAd
— Whole Mars Catalog (@Whole Mars Catalog) 1650665407


Musk was asked if the text messages to Gates were authentic, and he said they are legitimate, but said he did not leak the messages.

"Yeah, but I didn’t leak it to NYT," Musk wrote on Twitter. "They must have got it through friends of friends. I heard from multiple people at TED that Gates still had half billion short against Tesla, which is why I asked him, so it’s not exactly top secret."

Musk did not reveal when the text messages were sent.

Yeah, but I didn\u2019t leak it to NYT. They must have got it through friends of friends. \n\nI heard from multiple people at TED that Gates still had half billion short against Tesla, which is why I asked him, so it\u2019s not exactly top secret.
— Elon Musk (@Elon Musk) 1650683564

A short position is defined by Investopedia as: "When a trader sells a security first with the intention of repurchasing it or covering it later at a lower price. A trader may decide to short a security when she believes that the price of that security is likely to decrease in the near future."

Musk previously talked about Gates shorting Tesla stock during a February 2021 appearance on "The Joe Rogan Experience."

"I heard that at one point he had a large short position," Musk told podcast host Joe Rogan. "I don’t know if that’s true or not, but it seems weird."

Musk explained, "People I know, who know the situation pretty well, I asked them, 'Are you sure?' And they said, 'Yes, he has a huge short position on Tesla.' That didn’t work out too well."

The Tesla CEO also trolled Gates with a tweet that compared a photo of the Microsoft founder with a pregnant man emoji.

in case u need to lose a boner fastpic.twitter.com/fcHiaXKCJi
— Elon Musk (@Elon Musk) 1650684645

In February, Rogan also poked fun Gates' physique during a harangue against fake meat.

Rogan slammed Gates, "And by the way, you look like s**t. If you’re eating those plant-based burgers or whatever the f*** you’re doing, you’re obese."

"A guy like that telling people about — he’s got these breasts, and this gut, and I’m like, this is crazy," Rogan continued roasting Gates. "You’re one of the richest guys on earth. You have access to the best nutrients … you could have an amazing trainer. You could be in phenomenal shape, and you’re giving out public health advice … and you’re sick."

Rogan ranted, "How are you giving any health advice when you look like that. Your health is piss poor."

Elon Musk reveals Twitter improvements he wants, says motivation to buy Twitter isn't 'about the economics at all' but rather to build 'inclusive arena for free speech'



Elon Musk announced on Thursday that he made an offer to acquire Twitter, which caused liberals to suffer complete meltdowns. Also on Thursday, the Tesla and SpaceX CEO gave an interview during the TED2022 conference, where he explained his motivation to purchase Twitter and possible improvements he wants to bring to the social media platform.

Musk – who has a net worth of $264 billion – offered to buy Twitter for $43 billion. Musk already owns 9.2% of Twitter and was briefly the largest shareholder of the social media platform until the Vanguard group swooped in.

InvestorPlace reported, "According to an amended 13G filing, Vanguard now owns 82.40 million shares of TWTR stock, which equates to a 10.29% stake. That’s roughly 12 million shares more – or 17% – than when the firm last reported its stake in the company back in early February. Vanguard is now the largest shareholder of TWTR stock, beating out Elon Musk."

Elon Musk doesn't care about the economics of buying Twitter

Musk denied that his decision to try to acquire Twitter was done for financial gain.

"I mean, I could technically afford it," the world’s richest person joked. "This is not a way to sort of make money."

"My strong intuitive sense is that having a public platform that is maximally trusted, and broadly inclusive, is extremely important to the future of civilization, but I don't care about the economics at all," he added.

Musk wants an 'inclusive arena for free speech'

Musk described Twitter as "kind of the de facto town square," and he believes, "It's very important for there to be an inclusive arena for free speech."

The billionaire called the social media network "important to the function of democracy" and "important to the function of the United States as a free country." He noted that a free and open Twitter would "help freedom in the world more broadly than the U.S."

Musk was asked about being a self-proclaimed "free speech absolutist" and the effect it would have on Twitter. He said the social network is "bound by the laws of the country that it operates in."

When asked what he would do about hate speech and questionable content that is not direct threats on Twitter, Musk said he "would want to err on the side of in doubt" and "let it exist." He pointed out that banning accounts would actually "promote" the questionable tweet.

"I don't know if I have all the answers here, but I do think that we want to be just very reluctant to delete things and have to be very cautious with with with permanent bans," Musk declared. He said he prefers giving malicious Twitter users "timeouts" over permanent bans.

Musk conceded that the system "won't be perfect," but advocates for speech that is as "free as reasonably possible."

"And a good sign as to whether there is free speech is, is someone you don't like allowed to say something you don't like? And if that is the case, then we have free speech. And it's it's damn annoying when someone you don't like says something you don't like," the SpaceX founder explained. "That is a sign of a healthy, functioning, free speech situation."

He acknowledged that increasing the trust of Twitter as a public platform "will be somewhat painful."

Musk calls for Twitter to be more transparent

He specified that "having it be unclear who's making what changes" to accounts and "having tweets sort of mysteriously be promoted and demoted" can be "quite dangerous."

Musk offered a solution, "So the idea of opening the algorithm is a huge deal. And I think many people would welcome that, of understanding exactly how it's making the decision."

"One of the things that I believe Twitter should do is open-source the algorithm," he suggested. "Any changes to people's tweets – if they're emphasized or de-emphasized – that action should be made apparent ... so there's there's no sort of behind-the-scenes manipulation, either algorithmically or manually."

When asked about Twitter being owned by the world's richest person, Musk stressed that "it's very important that the algorithm be open-sourced" for transparency. He noted that Mark Zuckerberg owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.

Musk outlines improvements he wants to make to Twitter

Musk outlined how a possible edit button could work on Twitter.

"Well, I think you'd only have the edit capability for a short period of time," Musk proposed. "And probably the thing to do add upon the edit would be to zero out or retweets and favorites," Musk stated, but added, "I'm open to ideas, though."

Musk revealed that one of his top priorities, if he takes over Twitter, is to eliminate the spam, scam bots, and bot armies. "I think these influence and make the product much worse," he said.

Musk tweets from the bathroom

When asked about his thought process for composing tweets, Musk responded that it is "more or less stream of consciousness."

"You know, it's not like, 'Let me think about some grand plan about my Twitter' or whatever," said Musk, who has over 82 million Twitter followers. "You know, I'm like, literally, on the toilet or something like, 'Oh, this is funny,' and then tweet that out."

The Tesla founder said he was apprehensive about purchasing Twitter because everyone will blame him for everything.

"I think everyone will still blame me for everything," Musk told host and head of TED Chris Anderson. " Yeah, if something goes wrong, it's my fault – 100%."

"My driving philosophy is to expand the scope and scale of consciousness so that we may better understand the nature of the universe," Musk expressed. "I love humanity, and I think that we should fight for a good future for humanity."

You can watch the entire TED2022 interview with Elon Musk below.

Elon Musk talks Twitter, Tesla and the future — live at TED2022 www.youtube.com

Elon Musk offers to buy Twitter outright for whopping $43 billion price tag, says company needs to be transformed into platform that respects free speech



Elon Musk, Tesla and SpaceX CEO, has offered to buy all of Twitter for $43 billion, according to a Thursday morning Securities and Exchange Commission filing.

The news comes just days after Musk declined to join the company's board of directors after having purchased a 9% stake in the company.

What are the details?

Musk on Thursday announced that he would be willing to pay $54.20 per share — a 54% premium over the stock's price prior to Musk's acquisition of his stake in the company.

Musk in a statement said that he believes the social media company has incredible potential — which he believes he can unlock as its sole, private owner.

"I invested in Twitter as I believe in its potential to be the platform for free speech around the globe, and I believe free speech is a societal imperative for a functioning democracy," Musk wrote in a letter included in the SEC filing.

"As a result, I am offering to buy 100% of Twitter for $54.20 per share in cash, a 54% premium over the day before I began investing in Twitter and a 38% premium over the day before my investment was publicly announced," he continued. "My offer is my best and final offer, and if it is not accepted, I would need to reconsider my position as a shareholder."

"Twitter," he added, "has extraordinary potential. I will unlock it."

I made an offer \nhttps://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0001418091/000110465922045641/tm2212748d1_sc13da.htm\u00a0\u2026
— Elon Musk (@Elon Musk) 1649935401

What has the company said?

Twitter said that it would "carefully review the proposal" in response to Musk's bid.

"The Twitter Board of Directors will carefully review the proposal to determine the course of action that it believes is in the best interest of the Company and all Twitter stockholders," the company said in a statement on the move.

Following the announcement, Thursday's pre-market trading of Twitter stock was up approximately 11%.

Anything else?

Wedbush Securities analyst Daniel Ives told CNBC on Thursday morning that he believes there is little chance that Twitter would reject Musk's offer.

"This puts Twitter’s back against the wall ... there’s really no way that Twitter in my opinion could reject this," he said.

"This puts Twitter's back against the wall ... there's really no way that Twitter in my opinion could reject this," says @DivesTech on @elonmusk's offer to buy $TWTR.pic.twitter.com/jTOL8h4Cbx
— Squawk Box (@Squawk Box) 1649932566

After posting, then deleting, cynical messages, 'SNL' cast members given safe space if they don't want to appear with Elon Musk



Some "Saturday Night Live" cast members and a writer don't appear to be welcoming Elon Musk, who is an upcoming host of the NBC sketch TV show. Two "SNL" cast members posted and then deleted seemingly standoffish messages toward the Tesla CEO on social media shortly after Musk was announced as the host for the May 8 episode.

Last month, it was announced that Musk would host "SNL."

"Weekend Update" host Michael Che did what comedians are supposed to do: make jokes. During an interview with former "SNL" star Jimmy Fallon, Che joked about Musk hosting, "I am excited to meet him, but I don't know if he knows, usually, we have this tradition at 'Saturday Night Live,' it's customary for the hosts to give like a couple million dollars to the cast members."

But not everyone was excited to see the billionaire on "Saturday Night Live."

Let’s find out just how live Saturday Night Live really is 😈

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) 1619320846.0

The SpaceX founder tweeted, "Let's find out just how live Saturday Night Live really is," which received over 215,000 Likes on Twitter.

"SNL" cast member Bowen Yang took a screen capture of Musk's tweet and replied, "What the f*** does this even mean?"

"SNL" writer Andrew Dismukes reacted on Instagram by saying, "Only CEO I want to do a sketch with is Cher-E Oteri," a reference to "Saturday Night Live" alum Cheri Oteri.

After the news of one of the richest people on the planet set to host the comedy show, longtime "SNL" cast member Aidy Bryant reposted a tweet by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) that said, "The 50 wealthiest people in America today own more wealth than the bottom half of our people. Let me repeat that, because it is almost too absurd to believe: the 50 wealthiest people in this country own more wealth than some 165 MILLION Americans. That is a moral obscenity."

Sanders, an avowed socialist, has butted heads with the billionaire Musk in the past. Sanders called out Musk, who has a net worth of $173 billion.

"We are in a moment in American history where two guys — Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos — own more wealth than the bottom 40% of people in this country," Sanders said in March. "That level of greed and inequality is not only immoral. It is unsustainable."

the absolute shade from Aidy Bryant after announcing that @nbcsnl will have Elon Musk as host. good for her https://t.co/G1K4R0sNEq

— abby (@abbymorr11) 1619295601.0

NBC revealed that any "SNL" cast members offended by Elon Musk will be provided a safe space.

"Speaking historically, if a cast member has been that unhappy, they don't have to do it," a source told Page Six. "['SNL' boss Lorne Michaels] won't ever make them do anything they don't want to do."

The DogefatherSNL May 8

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) 1619590847.0

While Musk hosts the May 8 episode, Miley Cyrus will be the musical guest on the comedy skit show, and she received blowback for participating in a teaser clip with the billionaire. When announcing her appearance on "SNL" with Musk, the pop singer was met with some criticism from dozens of her diehard fans.

A fan tweeted, "I like you, Miley. But there is no way in hell that I'll be watching Elon Musk do anything. Honestly, folks should boycott this."

Another stated, "Girl you have the power to stop this."

One Twitter user wrote, "Don't show. Not worth it. He's not worth it."