Elon Musk‘s company SpaceX recently shared a video of Musk’s 2017 address at a company event, just days after a media report that suggested he was under the influence of drugs during that time.
What Happened: The video showcases Musk discussing SpaceX’s achievements in 2017, highlighting the success of 18 missions and the groundbreaking reuse of the Falcon 9 rocket.
“It was a record-setting year and we were just getting started on our path toward a more exciting future,” SpaceX wrote in a post, adjoined by a video of Musk’s address then at the company’s headquarters in California. Musk was joined on stage by company President Gwynne Shotwell.
A Wall Street Journal report this week hinted at Musk’s alleged drug use at that event, based on his delayed arrival, “slurred speech,” and the use of strong language. However, the report made no absolute claims of Musk’s drug use at the time.
Why It Matters: Sawyer Merritt, a well-known Tesla investor and influencer, shared SpaceX’s video on his X account and added that “Elon said during the talk he didn't really sleep the night before. He pretty much sounds like he always does during unscripted talks, stumbling on his words here and there and acting a bit silly, but I fail to see how this means he was on drugs. We now know he has Asperger’s.”
On a “Saturday Night Episode” in 2021, Musk publicly revealed he had Asperger's Syndrome, a developmental disorder marked by social and emotional deficiencies as well as normal or above-average verbal skills and cognitive ability.
Musk, in response to Merritt’s post, attributed his demeanor to sleep deprivation due to work demands and emphasized that Tesla was facing financial challenges in 2017.
“Yeah, I was running on very little sleep for several days due to extreme work requirements. Worth noting that Tesla was very close to bankruptcy in 2017,” he said.
Musk also earlier mentioned his agreement to undergo random drug testing for three years after a previous incident in 2018, with no evidence of drug or alcohol use found.
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