--- title: "Elon Musk Apologized to SpaceX Employees After Smoking Weed" description: "A new report quotes a yet-unpublished email Musk sent out to SpaceX employees, in which he apologizes for smoking weed with Rogan." date: "2019-11-19" modified: "2019-11-19" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/elon-musk-apologized-spacex-smoking-weed" categories: - "Elon Musk" - "Future Society" - "Space" - "SpaceX" - "The Industrialists" tags: - "elon musk" - "SpaceX" - "the digest" --- # Elon Musk Apologized to SpaceX Employees After Smoking Weed ![A new report quotes a yet-unpublished email Musk sent out to SpaceX employees, in which he apologizes for smoking weed with Rogan.]() *\Image: Joe Rogan Media/Victor Tangermann\* ## Bad Trip In September 2018, enigmatic billionaire Elon Musk made an [eyebrow-raising appearance]() on the Joe Rogan podcast. During the two-hour conversation, Rogan offered him a puff of marijuana — an otherwise harmless decision that got his space company SpaceX, [and Tesla](), into [a lot of trouble](). SpaceX had to undergo an extremely thorough and expensive safety investigation by NASA after Musk's stunt, according to a [new report]() in *The Washington Post —* which is also now reporting that Musk issued an internal mea culpa about his weed smoking to the rocket company's employees in a mass email. ## Hypocritic Oath In the email, obtained by the *Post*, Musk apologized for sparking up with Rogan. Musk admitted that "it was not wise" to smoke pot and that "SpaceX maintains a drug free workplace*."* "SpaceX personnel may not use or posses any controlled substance while in the workplace, and also may not be under the influence of legal or illegal drugs while at work," Musk warned in the email. "Anyone who appears to be inebriated or under the influence while at work is subject to drug testing and potentially other employment actions." ## Blunt Questions After Musk's Rogan appearance, NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine criticized Musk for promoting an unprofessional environment at SpaceX. "As an agency, we’re not just leading ourselves, but our contractors as well," Bridenstine [told the *Post*]() in a November 2018 interview. "We need to show the American public that when we put an astronaut in a rocket, they’ll be safe." **READ MORE:** [Boeing faced only ‘limited’ safety review from NASA, while SpaceX got a full examination]() \[*The Washington Post*\] **More on Elon Musk:** *[Siemens CEO Denies Slamming “Pot Smoking” Elon Musk]()* ## 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]()