Nicotine pouch vending machines are becoming a standard feature in tech company offices despite known health risks. It has become an increasingly accepted way to increase productivity in an industry where producing value for the boss is often considered more important than worker health.
Medical science is still trying to determine whether and how much these pouches increase the user’s risk of cancer.
Quitting aid turned tech industry boon
Nicotine pouches are an aid meant to help tobacco smokers quit—at least, that was their original purpose. The small sacks contain nicotine powder that reduces cravings for the highly addictive stimulant, similar to the patches and gum. Gradually reducing the dose has helped many people get off the drug, but now there’s a new problem.
Silicon Valley offices started installing nicotine pouch vending machines in 2025. The substance boosts energy and focus as well as any substitute, and the pouches are discreet enough to go unnoticed even if a user is speaking with you face-to-face.
With Adderall still tough to come by, tech workplaces have begun to openly rely on the pouch—from startups all the way to Palantir Technologies.
Back in September, Palantir’s Head of Strategic Engagement Eliano A. Younes posted a photo of himself posing next to a Lucy Nicotine machine. By the end of the year, Hello Patient founder Alex Cohen was admitting to the Wall Street Journal that he ordered some vending machines after noticing intense focus from workers who used the pouches.
“They were very productive, so I thought maybe there’s something here,” he said.
Nicotine pouch health risks
What also might be there is an increased risk of mouth cancer, among other issues. The FDA approved the marketing of nicotine pouches in 2025, ruling them safer than tobacco cigarettes. This does not, however, mean they’re safe to use.
“Although pouches may expose you to slightly fewer carcinogens than smoking, they’re not harmless,” Dr. Kedar Kirtane of the American Society of Clinical Oncology told the American Cancer Society. “As a head and neck oncologist, the biggest thing I worry about is oral health.”
Nicotine pouches are new enough that there’s not enough data to determine if these products are carcinogenic. Still, knowing what they do about nicotine itself, doctors are warning of potential long-term side effects, including:
- Gum irritation/recession
- Tooth decay leading to cavities
- High blood pressure
- Increased heart rate
- Damage to blood vessels
- Heart disease
- Increased stroke risk
- Depression and anxiety
- Addiction
Short-term side effects often include nausea, dizziness, headache, hiccups, and upset stomach.
“Nicotine products are bad for you”
While some in the tech industry laud nicotine pouches like they’ve discovered a miracle drug, those who remember the previous rounds we’ve had with stimulants are a little concerned about where this is going.
“Nicotine products are bad for you, and we should stop memeing them back into the zeitgeist,” said @josephdelong in September.
Meanwhile, @dread_numen wrote, “all these tech bros imagine they are doing 5-dimensional bio hacking chess by getting addicted to stimulants.”
“This is just encouraging bad and unhealthy behavior,” remarked @RetProf77.
“What’s next? Cocaine?” asked @blonde_burbs.
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