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Some of those things are legal in certain places and circumstances. Coke isn't really either, ever. Especially for an officer of several public companies, some of which have big government contracts.

If the CEO of Boeing or Raytheon was acting this way, would we be acting differently?

To be clear, the WSJ article linked here states that people are worried he has a problem.

Using before going on stage for work is not recreational, it's a problem.

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I would look at the behaviors and decisions made by the CEOs of Boeing and Raytheon. If they meet my expectations I would excuse the substance use.

If it’s a problem, it’s a minor problem, not justifying the attention. Elon has a lot of major problems that this distracts from, and creates the suspicion of a media bias against him, which is harmful.

Would employees of their companies, who must do drug tests, be given the same leniency?

In my opinion, it should depend on their role. And only look for active intoxication.

(Separately, regarding business and political leaders in particular) I’m not in favor of the “blackmail vulnerability” arguments in this discussion. Substance use should not be stigmatized.

I agree with your first point, that makes sense.

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