Elon Musk has long touted ketamine as an alternative to antidepressants—but some of his associates suggested to The New Yorker that his personal use of the drug has been on the rise recently, perhaps contributing to his erratic behavior. “A little bit of ketamine has an effect similar to alcohol. It can cause disinhibition, where you do and say things you otherwise would not,” a leading ketamine researcher Amit Anand told the magazine, adding: “You can feel grandiose and like you have special powers or special talents. People do impulsive things, they could do inadvisable things at work.” Musk has apparently become more isolated, too, as his relationship with the press and some members of the public becomes more combative. “His life just sucks,” one colleague told The New Yorker. “It’s so stressful. He’s just so dedicated to these companies. He goes to sleep and wakes up answering e-mails. Ninety-nine per cent of people will never know someone that obsessed, and with that high a tolerance for sacrifice in their personal life.”
