Elon Musk spoke with New York Times‘ Andrew Ross Sorkin Wednesday in a wide-ranging interview that was so confusing it left some viewers speculating the billionaire was under the influence of ketamine at the time, a drug he’s know to dabble with.
“This exchange is really illuminating,” a user on X wrote of a short clip from the pair’s discussion. “He is incapable of understanding the interviewer. He keeps repeating himself like he’s in some sort of fugue state.”
In the clip, Musk claimed X could fail because of the “advertising boycott” and “the whole world will know that those advertisers killed the company.”
Prominent companies have suspended advertising on Musk’s platform following reports detailing how paid advertisements appeared next to pro-Nazi content, as well as Musk’s boosting of an antisemitic conspiracy theory.
When Sorkin asked if his actions were responsible, Musk said, “Tell it to Earth … Let’s see how Earth responds to that.”
When asked if he would fund the company, Musk repeatedly answered circuitously, saying that if it failed because of an advertising boycott, it would be because of an advertising boycott.
During the conversation, Musk also told Disney CEO Bob Iger and others trying to “blackmail” him with advertising: “Go fuck yourself.”
He also misidentified Sorkin at one point, saying: “Jonathan, the only reason I am here is because you are a friend,” to which Sorkin replied, “First of all, I am Andrew.”
“Anyone who’s tried to have a conversation with someone on massive quantities of ketamine will find this very familiar,” commented one X user of the clip, later adding: “notice just how much he moves his head like a muppet.”
“sincerely want whatever amount of ketamine this is,” joked another user about the clip.
“We need better representation for ketamine addicts than Elon Musk,” posted someone else.
Wrote someone else: “You can actually hear the ketamine rattling around his nostrils here.”
The Wall Street Journal reported in June that Musk uses the psychedelic drug in small doses to treat depression as well as uses higher doses during social events.
Musk said in August he has a prescription for it and claimed that the drug can be a better alternative to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) that are frequently used as an antidepressant.
“I have a prescription for when my brain chemistry sometimes goes super negative,” Musk said. “Occasional use of Ketamine is a much better option, in my opinion.”
Just maybe just not during an interview with the New York Times.
