Do Psychedelics Make CEOs Quit Their Jobs?
Recent social media discussions have sparked a debate about the impact of psychedelic experiences on Silicon Valley executives, with some venture capitalists claiming that CEOs are quitting their jobs after using substances like psilocybin and ayahuasca. This trend has caught the attention of many in the tech industry and beyond.
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The Viral Claim
Austen Allred, CEO and co-founder of BloomTech, recently shared a provocative statement on X (formerly Twitter) that has gone viral. He claimed, “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”. Allred further elaborated that he knew of eight CEOs who had resigned following psychedelic experiences, with four of them appearing happier post-resignation.
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We Asked Psychedelic and Ketamine Practitioners if They’ve Seen CEOs and Executives Quit Their Jobs After an Experience
According to a questionnaire sent to Beckley Retreats’ clients, 75% of the respondents stated that their “beliefs and perspectives on life had changed.” So we reached out to facilitators and practitioners across the psychedelic industry to see what their experiences have been when working with high level executives.
“We see a split. Some quit, but most executives stay with their organizations. We have witnessed that when psychedelic experiences are truly integrated and embodied, people learn to stay in relationships and elevate their leadership.
Most often its trauma from the past that clouds one’s judgement and they think they aren’t a fit for the organization. When in actuality once the traumas of yesteryear have been cleared, clarity reigns supreme and the executive sees where they can make a greater contribution to any dysfunction that exists within the organization.”
Robert Grover
The Journeymen Collective
RELATED: OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman on How Psychedelics Made Him A Happier Person
“I am a real-world example of this. Even though I had everything the world says is important, I felt like burning my life to the ground. My marriage was falling apart, my family didn’t want to be around me, and I had totally lost my way. As a veteran, long-time health care executive, and trauma survivor, I didn’t realize how much my competitive mindset had cost me my identity.
Psychedelic-assisted therapy literally changed my life. It showed me trauma as early as age 4, that shaped what success was without realizing it.
By the end of my first 3- and 1/2-hour journey, I was able to confront and heal most of my programming. When I came home it gave me purpose and helped me see that the things I thought were important really didn’t matter. I went from chasing a ‘have-it-all’ lifestyle to focusing on ‘have-what-matters.’ The company I helped build reflected that win-at-all-costs mentality, but after my experience, I came back with a new perspective. I let my teams see the real me—the version I was always supposed to be. But even that wasn’t enough. I felt the need to share this transformation with the world, so I started a new company focused on post-psychedelic therapy hydration based on my own work.
Now, my mission and my life are aligned in both business and personal.”
Alan Wiederhold
Founder of Neuma Health
“Psychedelics have the power to show patients the true value of life, and it often times it isn’t the materialistic race for wealth or power. I tell my patients ketamine is a wide angle, 3D, third person mirror back on your own stuff. Once a patient has a mystical experience I think there can be a reframing of what’s important in life. For those who have the financial ability to walk away from a stressful job which is probably slowly killing them, they have the perspective to quit and live a life more in line with their true self. “
James Simonson MD
Integrative Psychiatry Oklahoma
“At Philadelphia Integrative Psychiatry, I’ve observed profound transformations in patients through ketamine-assisted therapy, a legal and accessible psychedelic treatment. This approach fosters mood improvements and insights that work through previous trauma, enhance relationships, and clarify life goals. Patients often reassess their careers, sometimes opting to leave high-paying jobs for more meaningful ones. The integration with therapy amplifies these benefits, enabling patients to gain new perspectives and make impactful life changes.”
David Danish MD
Philadelphia Integrative Psychiatry
“Many CEO’s and entrepreneurs who visit Psychedelic Insights for deeply transformative high dose psilocybin experiences can feel deeply changed. We underestimate change. It is not a pill but deep emotional work but it can also involve a spiritual awakening. We guide our clients from A to Z in these very vulnerable altered states of consciousness. Enlightenment doesn’t come for free. Letting go of “everything” is realistically impossible.
However, this is real and the experiences are characterized by mystical, spiritual, philosophical and psychological impactful experiences. Everyone is affected and guided with so called integration therapy – the post session after care. How to land back in the world you came from after you encountered entities, your own past and the spirits of loved ones, even God or ‘divine source energy’. Getting back in a traffic jam to work, may feel “off course”. How to reshape your life, your thoughts and ideas about your purpose here. It can all come to pass and we and our clients navigate these beautiful challenges together.”
Luc van Poelje
Founder, Psychedelic Insights
“While we have hosted many senior executives including CEOs on our retreat programs, we haven’t noticed a difference according to role or seniority in terms of career aha’s or job dissatisfaction. The common theme tends to be more of a human one — that working with psychedelics can inspire a profound reflection on and reorientation to meaning, purpuse, and relationship to others, self, and one’s own wellbeing.
This is why (because of the potential depth of perspective shift) we recommend all our participants engage fully in the integration process before making any radical or life-changing decisions including those related to career.”
Alexandra Pallas
Co-Founder, Beckley Retreats
Have you had experience as a facilitator or a high-level executive whose career trajectory has changed after a psychedelic experience? Let us know at info@healingmaps.com
