You know Elon Musk as the charismatic and eccentric billionaire CEO of Tesla, Grimes’ short-lived boyfriend and an icon for seemingly impossible technological progress. What you may not know is that the darling of American tech could be a weed smoker. Yesterday, Elon Musk announced that Tesla might be going private—all while hinting that he loves the Green Goddess. Here’s a look at what Elon Musk’s 420 tweet tells us about your favorite billionaire’s favorite herb.
Elon Musk’s 420 Tweet About Tesla
Elon Musk surprised the world his latest announcement. “Am considering taking Tesla private at $420. Funding secured,” Musk tweeted out to his 22.3 million followers. For all those confused by his declaration, Musk added: “Shareholders could either to sell at 420 or hold shares & go private.”
Some people are taking Musk’s tweet as a 420 joke. But Elon Musk is far from kidding, at least about Tesla. He followed his tweet with an email to Tesla employees in which he explained, “Earlier today, I announced that I’m considering taking Tesla private at a price of $420/share. I wanted to let you know my rationale for this, and why I think this is the best path forward.”
His main reason for privatizing Tesla is that quarterly earnings reports conflict with Tesla’s “long-term, forward-looking mission.” Instead of reaching short-term goals, Elon Musk wants Tesla to incite change for years to come. This can mean accepting a financial hit today, which has already happened: The automotive company lost $717 million during the last quarter alone, according to Wired. This translated to a 10 percent drop in Tesla’s stock value.
Why Would Elon Musk Value A Share At $420?
Even if Elon Musk does want Tesla to go private, why would he set the value of a share at exactly $420, if not for the sake of a weed joke? In his email, Musk explains, “Either they can stay investors in a private Tesla or they can be bought out at $420 per share, which is a 20% premium over the stock price following our Q2 earnings call.”
There is some logic behind a $420 share value. However, it does seem that Musk is making a joke, considering his taste for the absurd. He once tweeted “And, no, I am not an alien…but I used to be one.” Another time, someone posted: “Something really special about late night @elonmusk tweets.” Musk responded, “It’s probably the Ambien.”
Does Elon Musk Smoke Weed?
But, most importantly, does Elon Musk smoke weed? It’s hard to say. What we do know is that this isn’t the first time Elon Musk has tweeted about weed. Back in May, Musk tweeted, “Nanotech is so 2008. Picotech is 1000 times better,” and then “But femtotech is the future…” Follower Jarek Pendowski tweeted, “Go home Elon, you’re drunk,” along with a link to the definition of ‘dank memes’. Musk tweeted back, “Dank is wack unless you’re on weed.”
That thread of Elon Musk tweets is pretty cryptic. Still, many followers took his nonsensical response as proof that Elon Musk smokes weed. Was Elon Musk tweeting while stoned, or was it the Ambien again?
There is virtually no proof that Elon Musk has ever smoked weed. Musk was straight-edge even in college, according to Ashlee Vance’s biography, Elon Musk. “Elon was the most straight-laced dude you have ever met. He never drank. He never did anything. Zero. Literally nothing,” said Musk’s friend and University of Pennsylvania classmate Adeo Ressi.
Elon Musk Loves Weed Jokes and Twitter
Either Elon Musk doesn’t smoke weed, or he’s keeping his habit under wraps. But just because you don’t smoke weed doesn’t mean you can’t get in on the weed jokes, especially if you’re a billionaire with an overactive twitter account.
But one thing is for sure: Elon Musk’s 420 tweet made him a lot of money. According to Business Insider, his personal net worth increased by $1.4 billion following his post. Additionally, Tesla’s shares went to $380 after starting the day at $344. This was also due to the Saudi Arabian government’s $2 billion investment in Tesla per the Verge.
Whether Musk is a stoner, a shrewd businessman or both, he certainly knows how to get the public’s attention.
