Viral Post Sparks Controversy, Claims 8 Tech CEOs Resign After Taking Psychedelic Drugs

From entrepreneurs to executives, many of the industry's leading figures have begun exploring the potential benefits of psychedelics for enhancing creativity, problem-solving, and mental well-being

Austen Allred, a San Francisco-based CEO and co-founder of BloomTech, said in a post on X (Formerly Twitter) that eight Silicon Valley CEOs have stepped down after experimenting with psychedelic drugs. Traditionally used in various cultures for spiritual and healing purposes, psychedelics are gaining attention for their potential therapeutic applications, especially in mental health and self-discovery. 

From entrepreneurs to executives, many of the tech industry's leading figures have begun exploring the potential benefits of psychedelics for enhancing creativity, problem-solving, and mental well-being. In response to a viral post, Allred made the claim.

The discussion started when Ashlee Vance shared a venture capitalist's comment on X: "VC the other day told me we've lost several really good founders to ayahuasca. They came back and just didn't care about much anymore."

“Of the Silicon Valley founders I know who went on some of the psychedelic self-discovery trips, almost 100 per cent quit their jobs as CEO within a year. Could be random anecdotes, but be careful with that stuff,” posted Allred on X. Responding to a post by X user Ashlee Vance, the CEO of BloomTech claimed that a venture capitalist had told him, "Ayahuasca has caused us to lose several promising founders. They came back to work with a lack of motivation."

In the comments section of the post, Allred mentioned that he knew of eight CEOs who had resigned after using psychedelics. When asked, "How many do you think are happier now?" he responded that four of them appeared content following their departure from their roles.

Netizens Reactions:

“If ambition makes you consistently miserable, psychedelics help you understand the price you're paying. You lose a taste for it. Sometimes people are driven to succeed because they think success will make them "good enough," and drugs like that shatter the illusion,” wrote one of the X users.

Another user added, “Being a CEO is meaningless if other parts of your life are not fulfilling. This becomes quite obvious when you have deep (and often traumatic) experiences. Quitting then becomes the natural next step. Life is not about status.”

“People do psychedelics because they are fundamentally unhappy and looking for an answer. They seem primed going in and they get what they what, they can see their ambition makes them unhappy so they get rid of it with the help of the drug. But, I suspect what they were hoping to find was a way to be happy and ambitious,” wrote a third user.