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An ayahuasca brew in the early stages of preparation (Image: Wikipedia)

An ayahuasca brew in the early stages of preparation (Image: Wikipedia)

Austen Allred, CEO and co-founder of BloomTech, has set social media ablaze with his claim that he knows of at least eight Silicon Valley CEOs who quit under the influence of drugs. “Of the Silicon Valley founders I know who went on some of the psychedelic self-discovery trips, almost 100% quit their jobs as CEO within a year. Could be random anecdotes, but be careful with that stuff,” Allred wrote on X, in response to a viral post by Bloomberg writer Ashlee Vance, who in turn, had shared another video showing some individuals possibly under the influence of “ayahuasca” drug.

Sharing the video, Vance wrote, “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.”

Allred was asked how many appeared happier after resigning. He replied four.

The post sparked a debate online, with many internet users suggesting an alternative theory: that the founders may have already been unhappy, and psychedelics simply amplified their feelings. One user wrote, “Psychedelics often reveal what’s already inside; they don’t create dissatisfaction out of thin air.”

Another wrote, “Of the Silicon Valley founders I know who lied to students about job placement rates and loan dets, almost 100% quit their jobs as CEO within a year.”

A third wrote, “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.”

A fourth 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.”

Another stated, “I’d guess there’s some pretty significant selection bias bc leaving a co you’re founder-CEO of is so scary? so some part of them wanted to leave, but they were too scared, and so did a self-discovery trip as a way to propel them? that’s at least the common story I hear.”

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