Renowned entrepreneur Elon Musk faced a distressing period of mental anguish and professional challenges, suggested writer Ben Mezrich, pointing to Musk’s tenure as owner of Twitter as a turning point for the tech mogul’s mental health.
In a recent assertion made on CNBC, Mezrich, 54, revealed that Musk, 52, underwent a profound change following his acquisition of the influential social media platform in 2022. Mezrich speculated that the responsibilities and pressures tied to this new role significantly affected Musk’s well-being.
Mezrich alleged in the interview, “He got to a point where he locked himself in his office, was so upset that the Twitter employees were considering calling in a wellness check by the San Francisco police because they thought he was going to self-harm.”
“Twitter broke Elon Musk,” the nonfiction writer asserted. “Not only did he destroy this sort of global town hall, but he destroyed himself in the process.”
Adverse Incidents
Mezrich attributed Musk’s apparent mental health decline to a string of adverse incidents that unfolded last year, particularly highlighting an incident at Dave Chapelle’s show in San Francisco. During the event, Musk encountered an unexpected reception from the audience, with Chapelle humorously referencing individuals Musk had reportedly dismissed. Musk later took to Twitter, acknowledging the unexpected experience and emphasizing the novelty of being met with a considerable number of boos.
“Technically, it was 90% cheers & 10% boos (except during quiet periods), but, still, that’s a lot of boos, which is a first for me in real life,” Musk tweeted in response to the incident.
Mezrich emphasized that this reception had a profound impact on Musk, mentioning that it was a new and unexpected experience for the entrepreneur, leading to a downward spiral.
A Tough Month
The writer additionally stated that the Tesla chief executive officer was impacted by an incident involving his son being targeted by an apparent “obsessive stalker” during the same period as the comedy event.
Reportedly, in December 2022, an unknown individual, donning a black hood and a mask, purportedly followed a vehicle transporting Musk’s then-2-year-old son and proceeded to climb onto the vehicle in Los Angeles.
The masked individual later revealed his identity as an Uber driver named Brandon Collado, who reached out to Musk via Twitter, alleging, “You have connections to me and have been tracking me and my family for more than a year.”
In June, The Wall Street Journal reported that Musk, a father to 11 children, purportedly utilizes small doses of ketamine as a treatment for depression.
During 2017, Musk, who has Asperger’s syndrome, publicly discussed his mental health, mentioning the possibility of also having bipolar disorder.
While Musk didn’t directly respond to these allegations, in the past, he has been candid about his mental health. In 2017, he acknowledged experiencing extreme highs, lows, and persistent stress. He hinted that discussing the latter two aspects might not be well-received but stressed the importance of persevering and maintaining genuine passion for one’s work.
The allegations about Musk’s mental health amid his time managing Twitter have ignited discussions regarding the challenges and potential consequences of high-profile positions, particularly in the realm of social media ownership.