--- title: "Silicon Valley CEO Fired for Microdosing LSD at Work" description: "The CEO of a Silicon Valley-based startup was dismissed for microdosing LSD right before a meeting in 2019." date: "2021-04-28" modified: "2021-04-28" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/ceo-fired-microdosing-lsd" categories: - "Health & Medicine" tags: - "lsd" - "magic mushrooms" - "microdosing" --- # Silicon Valley CEO Fired for Microdosing LSD at Work ![The CEO of a Silicon Valley-based startup was dismissed for microdosing LSD right before a meeting in 2019.]() *\Image: Image via Pixabay/Victor Tangermann\* The CEO of a Silicon Valley-based startup was dismissed for taking LSD at work. The executive, Justin Zhu of $2 billion marketing platform Iterable, wasn't going on wild psychedelic trips on the job. Instead, he was [microdosing]() — taking a minuscule amount — of the psychedelic drug in an apparent effort to boost his focus, [according to *Bloomberg*](). The company's co-founder, Andrew Boni, told employees that Zhu was fired over unspecified violations of the startup's "Iterable's Employee Handbook, policies and values." Zhu’s "behavior also undermined the board’s confidence in Justin’s ability to lead the company going forward," Boni wrote in the note, obtained by *Bloomberg*. Microdosing LSD or other psychedelic drugs such as magic mushrooms has [become a burgeoning trend]() among entrepreneurs over the last several years. Its proponents argue the drug can stimulate the brain and increase productivity or creativity. The science behind the microdosing trend is far from conclusive, though. There have however been several small studies that have found microdoscing LSD can in fact [improve mood and cognition](). In a [2019 study](), doctors dosed nearly 50 elderly Alzheimer’s disease patients with low doses of LSD to see if it impacted their cognition or balance. They found that the treatment could be used to prevent or treat brain inflammation, slowing neural deterioration. But [research published this year]() found that the effects of microdosing failed to outperform a placebo, suggesting that any benefits might be as much psychosomatic as they are pharmacological. Psychedelics may have other uses in medicine, though. Last year, a team of Dutch researchers also found that microdoses of LSD could be used as an [alternative to opioids like morphine](). "The magnitude of the analgesic effect appears comparable to analgesic effects of opioids in the same pain model," a [press release]() read at the time. Regardless, Zhu's ousting illustrates an intriguing new culture war in the world of business — and it'll be interesting to see whether any other employer's crack down on the practice. ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()