Elon Musk is arguably the most influential CEO in the world today.
He has earned this status by creating and running a number of innovative companies. Perhaps the best known is Tesla (TSLA), the world leader in electric vehicles, which sees itself more as a purely technology company than as a car manufacturer.
In addition to vehicles, Tesla also produces solar panels and, above all, a humanoid robot, Tesla Bot, which could be marketed this year.
Musk also founded SpaceX, a reusable-rocket company that is reigniting the dream of bringing humans to Mars within the next few years. SpaceX also provides Starlink, a satellite-based internet service that has become a window of freedom for residents of war zones, totalitarian countries and remote regions.
The service has particularly stood out in Russia's war on Ukraine. After Russia destroyed the country's communications infrastructure, Starlink became a lifeline for the Ukrainian authorities and population at large.
Musk Aims to Become the Everything CEO
Musk for a time was also the richest man in the world, a title he lost at the very end of 2022 after Tesla was routed in the stock market, losing more than $600 billion in market capitalization.
The Techno King, as he's known at Tesla, has managed to develop a brand, with legions of admirers welcoming his comments on Twitter, the social network he acquired for $44 billion at the end of October. He has more than 125.4 million followers on the microblogging platform.
This charismatic and whimsical visionary is building a reputation as the CEO of everything. He does not limit his remarks to his companies or the economic sectors he knows best. Musk dabbles in politics, geopolitics, economic and fiscal policy --no subject, it seems, is off limits.
Health issues also are a concern for Musk, and he has once again weighed in on a mental-health problem by scathingly criticizing the amphetamine Adderall.
It all started with a tweet from Will Manidis, co-founder and chief executive of ScienceIO, a tech startup that digitizes and organizes "the world’s health-care data to make it useful, accessible for all software engineers."
Calling Out 'Endemic Adderall Addiction'
"Insane that we’re totally comfortable with endemic adderall addiction among 30-something white collar workers," Manidis complained on Twitter on Jan. 11.
"This a major problem," Musk commented. "Adderall is just low-grade speed & greatly amplifies your inner a**hole!"
Pharmaceutical company Teva (TEVA), which makes Adderall, declined comment to TheStreet.
It is important to emphasize that Musk is neither a doctor nor a scientist, so he is not an expert on health issues.
Adderall is approved to treat attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, which causes issues like a short attention span and/or hyperactivity and impulsivity. It is a stimulant that can sometimes be prescribed off-label as an add-on drug for treatment-resistant depression.
The side effects can be serious, doctors have warned. Stimulant drugs carry serious heart risks, including the risk of sudden death for children and adults with preexisting heart conditions.
This is not the first time that the billionaire has attacked the stimulant. Last April, he said he considered Adderall dangerous and he warned people not to take it.
"Adderall is an anger amplifier. Avoid at all costs," he wrote on April 29.
This comment had aroused many negative responses from users and condemnations from the medical profession. For many health experts, Musk is not qualified to give such advice.
Adderall has been in short supply for several months due to a sharp increase in prescriptions.
About 41.4 million Adderall prescriptions were dispensed in the U.S. in 2021, up more than 10% from 2020, according to Iqvia, a health-research firm.
