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<p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><ul><li><strong>Since its debut six years ago, Redwood City-based startup Auris Health has quietly raised $500 million to develop a series of tools designed to innovate surgical robotics technology.</strong></li><li><strong>The company's latest product, Monarch, is a controller-operated robotic camera that allows physicians to visualize the inside of the human body.</strong></li><li><strong>The technology, which was approved by the FDA earlier this month, could become a key tool in helping physicians diagnose lung cancer early on.&#xa0;</strong></li></ul><p><br>If you've never heard of Auris Health, it's for good reason: Despite the vast amount of capital the company has accumulated over the past six years, Auris has deliberately operated in stealth mode, quietly developing a series of tools designed to innovate surgical robotics technology and raising $500 million from investors including Lux Capital, Mithril Capital Management, Highland Capital, and Coatue Management.</br></p><p>Earlier this month, the company received FDA approval for its latest product: a controller-operated robotic camera that has the potential to transform the way physicians diagnose lung cancer.&#xa0;&#xa0;</p><p>Endoscopy, the medical imaging procedure that allows physicians to look inside the body, has experienced few major advancements since it was developed in the 1960s, Auris's CSO&#xa0;<span>Josh</span><span>&#xa0;DeFonzo told Business Insider. Auris's newest platform, called Monarch, is designed with the intent of transforming endoscopy, particularly in the field of lung cancer diagnosis.&#xa0;</span></p><p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p><span>"We believe that Monarch will become the go-to approach for diagnosing lung cancer in the future," DeFonzo said.</span></p><p><span> Monarch's advantage lies in the platform's technology, which is built on what DeFonzo describes as four key technological pillars. Through its software, data analytics, robotics, and visual imaging, Monarch allows physicians to delicately maneuver cameras within a patient's body, nimbly accessing areas within the lungs that are typically only reachable through more invasive procedures.</span></p><p><span>Monarch's goal is to diagnose lung cancer in its early stages, which the company describes as a crucial component in battling lung cancer. In a press release, Auris said that more than 90 percent of people diagnosed with lung cancer do not survive because physicians are made aware of the disease only within its latter, inoperable stages.&#xa0;</span></p><p><span>Peter&#xa0;Hébert, co-founder at Lux Capital and a member of Auris Health's board, said that keeping the company's innovative technology under wraps for the past six years was an intentional measure.</span></p><p><span>"We<span style="font-weight: 400;">&#xa0;didn't want to make a big stink until we had a produced a technology that actually solved a problem," Hébert told Business Insider.</span></span></p><p><span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Hébert says he believes that Auris Health will set the precedent for surgical robotics technology in the upcoming years. "It's a big sum of capital that's been raised, but ultimately we want this company to be worth tens of billions of dollars," said&#xa0;Hébert. "Not only does Auris have the potential to&#xa0;transform the lives of millions of people, but from an investor's perspective, this is an iconic company that will represent the next phase of surgical robotics intervention."</span></span></p><h2><strong>Check out how Monarch works in the video below:</strong></h2><p>&#xa0;</p><div></div>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/heres-how-the-best-novels-will-be-written-by-ai-in-the-future-bjorn-schuller-2018-3">AI will soon write better novels than humans, according to a computer scientist</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div></hr>

This Silicon Valley startup has quietly raised $500 million to help diagnose cancer using controllers

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The new trailer for <keyword id="369415" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Tom-Hardy">Tom Hardy</keyword>'s <keyword id="49441" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Al-Capone">Al Capone</keyword> biopic "<keyword id="2117602" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Capone">Capone</keyword>" has just dropped, and Hardy looks almost unrecognizable as the aged gangster.</li><li>Originally titled "Fonzo," the film follows a 47-year-old, dementia-stricken Capone after 11 years in prison, and shows him plagued by visions of his violent past.</li><li>"Fantastic Four" director <keyword id="923119" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Josh-Trank">Josh Trank</keyword>, who tweeted the trailer, writes and helms the film, while Matt Dillon and Jack Lowden costar.</li><li>"Tom Hardy. Capone. Coming MAY 12. (Different title. My cut.)," the director tweeted.</li><li>While the release date has been set, it's unclear what medium the film will be shown on amid the coronavirus crisis.</li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul><p><strong>Read more:</strong></p><p><a href="https://www.insider.com/best-independent-movies-you-can-watch-netflix-2020-3">The 31 best independent movies you can watch on Netflix right now</a></p><p><a href="https://www.insider.com/jake-gyllenhaal-heath-ledger-refused-oscars-brokeback-mountain-gay-jokes-2020-4">Jake Gyllenhaal said Heath Ledger refused to present at the Oscars because the Academy wanted them to make gay jokes about 'Brokeback Mountain'</a></p><p><a href="https://www.insider.com/good-movie-recommendations-2017-7">24 movies you need to see that people think are absolutely perfect</a></p>Read the original article on <a href="https://www.insider.com/watch-tom-hardy-trailer-release-date-capone-biopic-fonzo-trank-2020-4">Insider</a>

Tom Hardy looks sickly and scarred in the new trailer for gangster biopic 'Capone'

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Auris Health</span></p><p class="caption">Auris makes a product called Monarch, a controller operated robotic camera that gives doctors a view inside the body to help with lung cancer diagnosis.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul class="summary-list"><li>Pharmaceutical giant Johnson and Johnson is buying surgical robotics company Auris Health for $3.4 billion.</li><li><span>"In this new era of health care, we're aiming to simplify surgery, drive efficiency, reduce complications and improve outcomes for patients, ultimately making surgery safer," </span><span>Ashley McEvoy</span><span>, the executive vice president of medical devices at J&amp;J, said in a statement Wednesday. </span></li><li><span>Watch <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/stocks/jnj-stock">J&amp;J trade in real time.</a></span></li></ul><p>Johnson and Johnson is bulking up on its surgical robotics presence by acquiring Auris Surgical Robotics for $3.4 billion. </p><p>The surgical-robotics company was most recently valued as a private company at $2.1 billion, putting it among other <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/healthcare-and-biotech-unicorns-going-into-2019-venture-capital-i2018-12">health-tech unicorns.</a> The deal also includes up to $2.35 billion in payments based on development milestones the company hits. </p><p><span>"In this new era of health care, we're aiming to simplify surgery, drive efficiency, reduce complications and improve outcomes for patients, ultimately making surgery safer," </span><span>Ashley McEvoy</span><span>, the executive vice president of medical devices at J&amp;J said in a statement Wednesday. </span></p><p>In March 2018, Auris got FDA approval for its product called Monarch, which is a controller-operated robotic camera that helps doctors get visuals from within the body, including the lungs.</p><p>"We believe that Monarch will become the go-to approach for diagnosing lung cancer in the future," Auris chief scientific officer Josh DeFonzo<span> </span><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/silicon-valley-startup-auris-health-raised-500-million-to-diagnose-cancer-with-controllers-2018-3">told Business Insider at the time</a>.</p>     <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-long-stay-cold-temperatures-before-frostbite-stella-snowstorm-snow-2017-3">How long you can stay in extremely cold temperatures before getting frostbite</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

Johnson & Johnson is buying a surgical robotics startup for $3.4 billion

<ul><li>For most brands functioning in the current situation, ensuring minimal impact on their supply chain is perhaps one of the biggest challenge today.</li><li><keyword id="97696" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mineral-Water">Mineral water</keyword> brand <keyword id="115415" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bisleri">Bisleri</keyword> is taking various steps to ensure it is able to take its products to its consumers by increasing its online presence and strengthening its D2C offering, Bisleri@Doorstep, <keyword id="7778097" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Angelo-George">Angelo George</keyword>, CEO, Bisleri India tells us. </li></ul>The country has been in the grips of the second wave of Covid-19 and the last few weeks have been difficult for most of us. It has also been challenging for retail brands to reach out to their consumers while most shops and malls are shut. However, in the last one year, we have seen many brands strengthen their supply chain capabilities and are now doing their best to deliver their products to consumers directly at home. <br /><br /> Bottled water brand Bisleri, which launched its direct-to-consumer website last year during the first lockdown has been seeing a steady increase in the number of people ordering mineral water, and even other products from its portfolio from its website, which is a huge behavior shift for the mineral water segment which has usually been a product people normally pick up from shops. <br /><br /> Identifying the potential that D2C can have in the future, Bisleri has been strengthening its offering. Its website has also become a great way of consumers discovering other products from its portfolio that includes drinks like <keyword id="3249168" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Fonzo">Fonzo</keyword>, <keyword id="3248959" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Spyci">Spyci</keyword> and <keyword id="3248958" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Limonata">Limonata</keyword> and its hand sanitizer sprays. <br /><br /> “Since last year, there has been a shift towards people buying even essentials online. As a result, we had launched Bisleri@Doorstep last year during the lockdown. In the last one year, and also during these last few weeks when Covid numbers have been going up, we have seen an increase in demand on our website. Our portal provides consumers an access to the whole range of Bisleri products which we deliver to their doorsteps. We currently operate in 20 cities, a number we are aiming to increase to 40 within the next few months,” shared Angelo George, CEO, Bisleri India. <br /><br /> The brand has also been partnering with a lot of delivery partners to increase accessibility. “Since the Covid numbers have been going up in April, we saw almost a doubling of demand on our website,” he added.<br /><br /> Making sure its supply chain doesn’t get impacted, which is one of the biggest challenges in this new world order, Bisleri is also working on taking its manufacturing facilities closer to the markets. “One of the bigger challenges today is ensuring minimal disruption to supply chain. We have a very well-dispersed manufacturing footprint which is a huge advantage in these times. Even though our products are essential services, there are impediments at times for the movement of staff and distribution vehicles which leads to a lot of liaisoning with the local regulatory bodies and law enforcement teams to ensure that our operations are not hampered,” he said.<br /><br /> There has been an obvious increase in at-home consumption of their water. Their bottles are now available in a range of sizes, from 5 litres to 20 litres, which George thinks works in the brand’s favor. “We are also reaching out to different channels like chemists, milk and even vegetable vendors in a big way because these are the shops that are allowed to remain open and sustain operations through the day in many cities,” he explained. Owing to the increase in demand online, there was a challenge of amping up the customer care team at the backend too. “Right now, the call volumes and distress complaints have been going up, so we have beefed up our customer care team significantly. And we are training them while the process is going on, in terms of inducting them into the system,” he added.<br /><br /> The brand had also recently come up with a campaign ‘Samajhdar Bisleri Peete Hain’ where the brand tried to tell consumers to be on the lookout for Bisleri lookalikes. Apart from this campaign, there were also some plans for the use of OOH which will now be on hold. On whether the current situation will impact their annual marketing plan, George said, “There are certain elements in the larger marketing plan that will need to be put on hold but everything else, which includes connecting with consumers, either through mass media or digital, will continue.”<br /><br /> On what his areas of focus would be for the next few months, he said, “One is about ensuring that we augment our capacities in all key locations. We will also focus on introducing more products in health and hygiene categories,” said George.<br /><br />Considering many of its employees are working on-ground, the organization is making provisions to make sure they are safe. "Apart from the regular medical insurance, we have provided an additional Covid insurance for our employees and contract workers. In some cases, we have even housed our staff closer to the plants to reduce exposure. Processes are in place to ensure safety of our delivery staff because they are travelling and meeting consumers. We have given protective gears to all our staff, who frankly are Covid warriors and are also sanitizing vehicles after every trip,” he said.<br />

Bisleri is amping up its D2C offering Bisleri@Doorstep, aims to expand its presence from the current 20 to 40 cities within the next few months

<ul class="summary-list"><li>My dad died suddendly in his sleep when he was 60 years old. </li><li>After his death, my brother and I took LSA and our bond was stronger than before. </li></ul><p>When Prince Harry attested to how psychedelics had enabled him to finally <a href="https://www.insider.com/prince-harry-psychedelics-princess-diana-death-2023-1">process the grief</a> and <a href="https://www.insider.com/psychedelic-dmt-trip-helped-with-depression-brought-sensation-back-2023-4">trauma</a> which had accumulated from the high-profile death of his mother, Princess Diana, and was left stored, pent up, The Daily Mail <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-11614199/Prince-Harry-accused-wishful-thinking-claimed-psychedelic-drugs-ease-grief.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dismissed</a> his story as "flimsy."</p><p>Perhaps my tale is similarly lacking in scientific data and is undoubtedly subject to serious observation bias. But the sensible use of consciousness-expanding drugs <a href="https://www.insider.com/psychotherapist-advocating-for-the-legalization-of-mdma-2021-11">has seemed to immensely help</a> my brother and me following the sudden death, in December, of our 60-year-old father, Nick Busby.</p><p>They allowed our own emotions to flow more easily, thanks to a softening of the ego, which facilitated a greater connection between us that served as a vital first step on our grieving journeys.</p><h2>We took LSA</h2><p>Soon after Dad's death, we escaped from the home in which he died during his sleep to a rented cabin in the nearby southern England countryside. There, we consumed <a href="https://psychedelicspotlight.com/what-is-lsa/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">LSA</a>, a natural psychedelic derived from Hawaiian baby woodrose seeds. </p><p>My brother Rory had the brainwave, and he supplied the drugs — purchased legally in Amsterdam a couple of months before. When he suggested we trip, it struck me as a rather good idea, certainly better than taking to the bottle. That is what sadly killed our father, after all.</p><p>Within a few hours of ingesting the psychedelic capsules, we were embracing and telling each other how much we loved each other as the heart-opening powers of the hallucinogen took effect. Tears came to our eyes as we hugged one another tightly. Of course, we had shared tender words and touch prior to that Sunday night, but not on that level, not with any true emotional release. More fist pumps than extended bear hugs.</p><p>We departed the next morning amidst the winter season's first snowfall as brothers in arms, the bonds underpinning our relationship ever stronger thanks to the profundity, and vulnerability, of the previous night. </p><h2>More psychedelics helped me let go of everything</h2><p>Several months later, I found myself at Tandava Retreats in Mexico to observe a retreat and work with <a href="https://www.insider.com/what-to-know-about-psychedelic-drug-dmt-mike-tyson-smoked-2019-6">5-MeO-DMT</a>, perhaps the most powerful of all psychedelics, certainly the most rapid-acting. </p><p>By May, half a year since Dad passed on, he was no longer at the forefront of my mind. </p><p>Still, when <a href="https://www.insider.com/christina-haack-flip-or-flop-smoking-toad-venom-cured-ego-2021-7">the toad venom</a>-derived medicine subsumed my body, I felt like I let go of everything possibly described as negative that I still held from his life, our relationship, and his death, and I wept deep sobs before what can only be described as a cosmic orgasm then reverberated through my body. This was preceded by a brief period of intense fear as the sheer intensity of the experience dawned upon me. </p><p>To assess whether this psychedelic, the so-called God Molecule, can combat prolonged grief, researchers at the University of Texas' Dell Medical School <a href="https://www.texasstandard.org/stories/can-psychedelics-combat-prolonged-grief-dell-medical-school-launches-study-to-find-out/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">launched a study in late 2022</a> in which 20 widows of veterans will trip — some with psilocybin, others with 5-MeO — and 10 will not.</p><p>"We think psychedelics disrupt those depressive patterns and allow the brain to operate in new ways that weren't otherwise possible before," said <a href="https://www.keranews.org/health-wellness/2022-10-13/can-psychedelics-combat-prolonged-grief-dell-medical-school-launches-study-to-find-out" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Greg Fonzo</a>, co-director of the Center for Psychedelic Research and Therapy at Dell Medical School.</p><p>Prince Harry echoed this sentiment in an <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-11613067/Prince-Harry-admits-using-psychedelic-drugs-deal-grief-mother-Princess-Dianas-death.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">interview with "60 Minutes"</a> — "If you are suffering from a huge amount of loss, grief or trauma, these things have a way of working as a medicine," he said. </p><p>I don't think I've ever been so defenseless as when I smoked 5-MeO — on both a physical and emotional level. And when those tears streamed down my cheeks, I somehow arrived at a blissful state of surrender that has remained with me since. </p>

Taking psychedelics with my brother helped us get over our dad's sudden death

<p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li>Kobe Bryant called out one of the players on the girls youth basketball team he coaches for missing a game for a dance recital in an Instagram post.</li><li>Bryant later amended the post, saying that her absence meant "she enjoyed dance more than ball which is fine," and that "Now? She eats sleeps and breathes the game."</li><li>Some fans on social media called out Bryant for the post, but Kobe said he was just trying to explain why the girl wasn't in the picture.</li><li><strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.</a></strong></li></ul><p>Kobe Bryant is not a fan of participation trophies.</p><p>On Tuesday, Bryant shared an image of the fourth-place trophy the youth girls basketball team he coaches won two years ago, writing in the caption that the players all wanted to "throw it away" after their disappointing finish. Bryant told them to keep the trophy as motivation.</p><p>&#xa0;</p><p>On Wednesday Bryant went a step further, sharing an image of the team after winning the trophy. In the original caption that accompanied the post, Bryant wrote "Here's our fourth place "winners" picture lol six of the kids in the picture stayed with me and worked every single day to get better and continue to work to this day. The 7th player (not in pic) missed this game for a dance recital so that should tell you where her focus was at this time."</p><p>The original post was screen-grabbed by Sports Illustrated.</p><p>Bryant would later amend the caption to be a bit less overtly critical of the player that chose to perform in her dance recital.&#xa0;</p><p>"The 7th player (not in pic) missed this game for a dance recital so that should tell you where her focus was at this time, meaning she enjoyed dance more than ball which is fine," Bryant wrote in the new post. "Now? She eats sleeps and breathes the game."</p><p>Still, some basketball fans caught Kobe's original caption and took issue with his decision to call out one of his players.</p><p>Kobe responded by saying he was just trying to explain why the seventh player wasn't pictured.</p><p>Whether you're an NBA teammate of his or a player on his youth basketball team, it appears Bryant expects a full commitment to the Mamba Mentality.</p><ul class="read-more-links"><li>Read more:</li></ul><p><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/dennis-rodman-kim-jong-un-different-2019-9" data-analytics-position="4" data-analytics-module="onecolumn-post_image">Dennis Rodman says Kim Jong Un is not like 'people portrayed him to be'</a></p><p><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-knocked-out-fiba-world-cup-france-2019-9" data-analytics-position="5" data-analytics-module="onecolumn-post_image">Team USA hit with stunning loss in the FIBA World Cup that comes with a worse fate</a></p><p><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-lebron-james-advocates-for-labor-rights-player-empowerment-2019-9" data-analytics-position="6" data-analytics-module="onecolumn-post_image">LeBron James might be America's most visible labor activist right now - and he's garnering support from Bernie Sanders</a></p><p><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bill-belichick-press-conference-antonio-brown-rape-allegation-2019-9" data-analytics-position="1" data-analytics-module="onecolumn-post_image">Bill Belichick ended his press conference after 4 minutes of being peppered with questions about Antonio Brown</a></p><div>    </div><div></div><div>    </div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/louisiana-state-university-football-locker-room-athletic-facility-2019-8">LSU's football team has a new $28 million locker room - complete with sleep pods, a pool, and a mini theater</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

Kobe Bryant criticized after calling out one of his girls youth basketball players for missing a game for a dance recital

<p class="drop-cap">Elon Musk can be cagey about his <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-drug-use-cringeworthy-spacex-meeting-wsj-2024-1">purported drug use</a>. After bombshell reports about internal concerns over the Tesla-SpaceX-Twitter-Neuralink executive using LSD, cocaine, ecstasy, and ketamine, Musk's line has typically been that <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-tesla-ceo-denies-drug-use-allegations-2024-1">it's not happening</a>. More recently, he's shifted: OK, fine, it is happening, but it's just ketamine for depression, and actually <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-don-lemon-small-amount-ketamine-every-other-week-2024-3">it's good for shareholders</a>. If his companies are doing well, Musk argued recently, and he's taking drugs while running those companies, then he should stick with the drugs, for capitalism's sake. One might pause at the logic, but Musk is hardly the only person making that calculation — plenty of people have come around to the idea that drugs are a decent work tool.</p><p>Professionals are increasingly using substances like LSD, psilocybin, and ketamine as mechanisms to improve their performance. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/microdosing-psilocybin-mushrooms-for-creativity-startups-2024-3">Startup hustlers</a> and working women say they're turning to "magic" mushrooms to be more productive and creative, to take the edge off, or maybe just to get a bit of a hangover-free after-hours buzz. Some executives are attending <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/photos-see-inside-luxury-psilocybin-magic-mushroom-retreat-2022-9">luxury psychedelic retreats</a>, where they spend a few days tripping in a forest, trying to expand and unlock their minds in ways that they hope will expand and unlock business opportunities, à la <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/steve-jobs-lsd-daniel-kottke-cnn-2015-1">Steve Jobs</a>. The psychedelics market is a lucrative one and <a target="_blank" href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/article-abstract/2787968#:~:text=The%20market%20for%20psychedelic%20substances,the%20legal%20US%20cannabis%20market.&amp;text=In%20the%20Table%2C%20we%20summarize,offerings%20in%202020%20or%202021.">expected to reach $11 billion</a> by 2027.</p><p>Drugs used to be viewed as dangerous, a hindrance to life success, or, you know, just something you did for fun. Now they're increasingly seen as a useful tool for work. Instead of trying to get high, people are using them to try to get ahead.</p><p>"It's not uncommon for the public view on things to flip-flop, going from negative to, 'Oh, wow, these things are great,' and viewing them as potentially good for everything," Greg Fonzo, a codirector of the Center for Psychedelic Research &amp; Therapy at the University of Texas at Austin's Dell Medical School, told me. "The truth lies somewhere in between, right? No drug is for everything, and most drugs are not purely negative."</p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-microdosing-2019-1">Microdosing</a> — which means taking, say, one-tenth of a normal dose of a drug — is a trend popular among moms on the playground and workers in the office. Anecdotally, people say it helps with creativity, focus, productivity, and just feeling better on the job. Scientifically, the story gets more complicated.</p><p>The jury is still out on whether and how microdosing works, said Matthew Johnson, a senior researcher for the Center of Excellence for Psilocybin Research and Treatment at Sheppard Pratt. There hasn't been a ton of research, and while people <em>say </em>in surveys that microdosing helps improve cognitive function and reduce anxiety, some <a target="_blank" href="https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/216134/citizen-scientists-show-placebo-effect-explain/">placebo-controlled</a> <a target="_blank" href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/02698811211050556">trials</a> suggest that, in actuality, it may not <em>do </em>much.</p><p>"The science of microdosing is: So far, we don't really know what's going on, whether it's all placebo effect," Johnson said.</p>          <p>In theory, microdosing is subperceptual. It's not like sipping a glass of wine to relax or having a cup of coffee to wake yourself up, both of which hit pretty immediately. The idea is instead to take tiny doses over time you don't notice, which hopefully benefit you in the long run.</p><p>If people are indeed feeling something off what they ingest, it's possible they're not technically microdosing — they're just getting a little bit high on the job. A <a target="_blank" href="https://www.reddit.com/r/bartenders/comments/13wy1ke/should_i_microdose_before_work/">glance at Reddit</a> would indicate that unintentional at-work "oops" highs happen, which is because measuring these drugs precisely is hard.</p><p>"You could get a mushroom that has a little bit more or a little bit less psilocybin, and then you would end up having a perceptual experience, which, depending on the activity of the day, might be more than you bargained for," said Katrina Michelle, a clinical therapist in New York and the former director of harm reduction for the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies.</p><p>Of course, not everyone is looking for a micro experience to improve work performance. Some people are experimenting with psychedelics on the macrodose level. Some corporate elites are seeking out psychedelic retreats to improve their leadership skills, shift their perceptions, and, in some cases, even bond with their teams.</p><p>Rob Grover and Gary Logan, the founders of the Journeymen Collective, which offers luxury guided magic-mushroom retreats in Vancouver, British Columbia, told me their company worked with a multitude of executives, entrepreneurs, and visionaries to help them elevate their businesses to "conscious businesses," which they recognize sounds fluffy.</p><p>"When leaders become conscious leaders so that they're aware of what's going on around them, they have greater precision of thought, greater clarity, greater creativity that they can lead in a different way and they can lead in a more effective and efficient way," Grover said. "So that's where we come in and help people with a massive reset of their consciousness so that they can impact their company, their boards, their vision of what they're here to do in a deeply impactful way."</p><p>They work with people for a minimum of four months — one month of preparation leading up to two days of "ceremonies," followed by three months of "integration" post-retreat. Their experiences, which start at $15,000 a person for a group session, have seen a huge boom over the past couple of years: Bookings increased 183% from 2022 to 2023.</p><p>The deal sounds pretty great: Go to the mountains, have your experience, and kill it at work. But that's not a guaranteed outcome. Someone might trip and discover that they love their job again, but they could also decide they actually hate the corporate world and are over it.</p><p>"These medicines are not something we can necessarily have superconsistent expectations about," Michelle said. "It's really hard to ever say with any psychedelic medicine that this is going to have this one effect when it comes to your psycho-emotional health."</p><p>Some executives appear to have such strong convictions about the power of psychedelic retreats that they're <a target="_blank" href="https://fortune.com/well/article/psychedelic-leadership-retreat-magic-mushrooms-mdma-ayahuasca/">bringing their colleagues and business partners along</a>, hoping that it will bring them all closer together and push them forward. The issue of team retreats and drug use is a complicated one. Psychedelic experiences can be deeply intense and personal, not something everyone wants in a work environment. There are also questions of pressure and power dynamics in play. People around Musk, including some of his board directors, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-company-directors-drug-use-report-wsj-2024-2#:~:text=Elon%20Musk%20is%20said%20to,participate%20in%20or%20enable%20his">reportedly felt pressured</a> to take drugs with him to avoid upsetting him. My boss is lovely, but I don't really want to vomit in front of him at an ayahuasca retreat as I share my deepest, darkest secrets, nor do I want to feel like I have to in order to keep my job.</p>          <p>Justin Townsend, the CEO and head facilitator of MycoMeditations, which offers psilocybin-assisted retreats in Jamaica, told me that many of his clients say his services, which can run from $6,500 to $23,000, help them to be better leaders and perform better professionally. He's working on launching retreats for business leaders, but it's a prospect that entails some special considerations. If a company calls and says it wants to send five executives down, it might get awkward and difficult if not handled correctly.</p><p>"We're all aware of corporate etiquette, and no matter how close and tight that team is, if you come to a psychedelic retreat, there's nowhere to hide," he said.</p><p>I asked him for advice on what to do if such a situation landed at someone's feet. He said to look into the safety, efficacy, and legal status of the proposal, think about what your boss wants to achieve and whether there are alternative solutions, and consider your personal boundaries. If it's not for you, he said, "just say no."</p><p>Some of these dynamics aren't novel. Social pressures at work have always existed — just look at <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/pressure-socializing-with-coworkers-debate-viral-2023-9">happy hour</a>. So has the idea of performance enhancement, whether via coffee (legal), Adderall (legal, depending on how you get it), or cocaine (illegal).</p>          <p>The type of psychedelic substances in vogue in the workplace also have a socioeconomic slant to them. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/legal-marijuana-states-2018-1">Marijuana has been decriminalized</a> in many more parts of the country than <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/oregon-legal-magic-mushroom-psilocybin-cubensis-need-to-know-2022-4">psilocybin</a>, but you're still likelier to lose your employment over smoking a joint on the job than you are if you eat a square of a magic-mushroom chocolate bar. You can still be fired over psychedelics, though — in 2021, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/iterable-ceo-fired-justin-zhu-lsd-report-2021-4">a startup CEO was axed</a> after saying he'd microdosed LSD at work. Regardless, all three are still federally illegal. With hidden <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-recognize-the-signs-of-fentanyl-overdose-could-kill-2022-12">fentanyl</a> sometimes in the mix, many drugs may be extra dangerous. There are also questions about the effects that long-term psychedelic use has on the heart.</p><p>"My main concern is that people understand the risk, any risk — bad-trip risk, psychiatric risk, or legal risk," Johnson said.</p><p>Whatever the risks and benefits, given our optimization-obsessed corporate world, some elements of drugs as a work-enhancement tool appear to be here to stay. Not to mention that there's money to be made in the psychedelics industry, and plenty of boring or annoying jobs could stand to be made more tolerable by whatever means possible.</p><p>A lot of executives and workers have a little bit of Elon Musk in them. Figuring a little microdose here, a little trip there, might not hurt performancewise. Townsend, who runs the Jamaica retreats, told me that if anything, he thought Musk might want to pay him a visit, given how much he seems to be working and his use of ketamine for depression.</p><p>"I'd say give me Elon for a week," he said, "and I'll give you a different man."</p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/emily-stewart"><em>Emily Stewart</em></a><em> is a senior correspondent at Business Insider, writing about business and the economy.</em></p>

So it's OK to do drugs at work now?

<p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="http://pictures.reuters.com/C.aspx?VP3=SearchResult&amp;VBID=2C0BXZ1X3E74F&amp;SMLS=1&amp;RW=1440&amp;RH=720#/SearchResult&amp;VBID=2C0BXZ1X3E74F&amp;SMLS=1&amp;RW=1440&amp;RH=720&amp;POPUPPN=26&amp;POPUPIID=2C0BF1FW8JQF1">REUTERS/Neil Hall</a></span></p><p class="caption">Protestors hold banners in Parliament Square during a 'March for Europe' demonstration against Britain's decision to leave the European Union, central London, Britain July 2, 2016.</p></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p><span>In the aftermath of the United Kingdom's vote to leave the European Union, we are left with more questions than answers. What </span><a href="https://www.cer.org.uk/sites/default/files/pb_piris_brexit_12jan16.pdf" target="_blank">kind of relationship</a><span> will the UK now forge with the EU, and how will that affect economic relations and migration? </span></p><p><span>Will </span><a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-36621030" target="_blank">Scotland</a><span> and </span><a href="http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk/2016/06/what-does-brexit-mean-northern-ireland" target="_blank">Northern Ireland</a><span> opt to leave? What is the future of British <keyword id="6358883" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Politics">politics</keyword>, given turbulence within both the </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/jun/26/conservative-leadership-rift-widens-brexit" target="_blank">Conservative</a><span> and </span><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/06/26/eu-referendum-hilary-benn-sacked-from-shadow-cabinet-by-jeremy-c/" target="_blank">Labour</a><span> Parties? </span></p><p><span>Will a successful Brexit set a precedent for other EU members -- perhaps even some </span><a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-36615879" target="_blank">eurozone members</a><span>-- to leave the union? What are the long-term economic consequences of the resulting uncertainty? </span></p><p><span>Will Brexit even happen at all, given the </span><a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/brexit-eu-referendum-campaigners-there-is-no-plan-next-pm-tory-leadership-contest-a7104711.html" target="_blank">absence</a><span> of a clear post-referendum plan, the apparent </span><a href="http://qz.com/717182/a-brexit-conspiracy-theory-nails-the-no-win-situation-boris-johnson-now-finds-himself-in/" target="_blank">unwillingness</a><span> of 'Leave' campaign leaders to invoke Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, and the fact that the referendum was </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/jun/26/fightback-against-brexit-on-cards-remain-eu-referendum-heseltine" target="_blank">advisory and non-binding</a><span>? Answers to these questions will make themselves evident in the coming weeks, months, and years.</span></p><p>But there's a bigger question worth asking: What are the implications of Brexit for democracy? Arguably, Brexit represents the first major casualty of the ascent of digital democracy over representative democracy. This claim deserves an explanation.</p><p>When historians look back at the world of the past 25 years, they will likely associate it not with terrorism or growing inequality but with the twin phenomena of the "<a href="http://www.economist.com/node/11402606" target="_blank">rise of the rest</a>" (particularly China and India) and of globalization. Globalization involves the easier, faster and cheaper flow of goods, people, capital and information. One big enabler of globalization is the internet, the global network of networks that allows billions of people to cheaply and easily access enormous amounts of digital information.</p><p>The rise of service and high-technology industries, trade liberalization, <a href="http://www.vox.com/2015/1/22/7869319/largest-container-ship" target="_blank">container shipping</a>, and the development of <a href="http://www.mckinsey.com/global-themes/employment-and-growth/financial-globalization" target="_blank">financial markets</a> have also been important enablers, as is the increased ease and lower cost of travel, particularly <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2013/02/how-airline-ticket-prices-fell-50-in-30-years-and-why-nobody-noticed/273506/" target="_blank">by air</a>.</p><p>Many <a href="https://newrepublic.com/article/113272/eric-schmidt-and-jared-cohenthe-new-digital-ages-futurist-schlock" target="_blank">technology optimists</a> have assumed that globalization would lead to the democratization of information and decision-making, and also greater cosmopolitanism. Citizens would be better informed, less likely to be silenced, and able to communicate their views more effectively to their leaders. They would also have greater empathy and understanding of other peoples the more they lived next to them, visited their countries, read their news, communicated, and did business with them. Or so the thinking went.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Reuters/Neil Hall</span></p><p class="caption">Former Mayor of London Boris Johnson (L) and Britain's Secretary of State for Justice Michael Gove pose at a Vote Leave rally in London, Britain, June 4, 2016.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>But there has been little to justify such panglossianism. There is <a href="https://www.amazon.in/Internet-Freedom-2-1-Developing-Democracies-ebook/dp/B00U32PWKI" target="_blank">some evidence</a> for a correlation between greater information, political democratization and economic progress, in that all three have advanced steadily, if at different paces, over the past two decades.</p><p>But that correlation is weak. Instead, digital democracy -- the ability to receive information in almost real time through mass media and to make one's voice heard through social media -- has contributed to polarization, gridlock, dissatisfaction and misinformation. This is as equally applicable to the countries in which modern democracy took root -- in the United States and Europe -- as it is to India, the biggest and most complex democracy in the developing world.</p><p>The ascent of digital democracy around the world has some shared features. One characteristic is that access to greater information has, rather counterintuitively, contributed to a "<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/fact-checking-in-a-post-fact-world/2016/05/19/d37434e2-1d0f-11e6-8c7b-6931e66333e7_story.html" target="_blank">post-fact</a>" information environment. Nick Cohen -- speaking of British pro-"Leave" journalists-turned-politicians Boris Johnson and Michael Gove --<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/jun/25/boris-johnson-michael-gove-eu-liars" target="_blank">called out</a> their use of bold claims, their contempt for practical questions, their sneering disregard for expertise, and their transgressions of the bounds of political spin.</p><p>These tactics are not all that dissimilar to Donald Trump's assertions about Barack Obama's birth certificate or <a href="http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/261303-feds-push-back-on-myth-syrian-refugee-stat-used-by-trump" target="_blank">immigration policies</a>, or Subramanian Swamy's <a href="http://scroll.in/article/810515/mentally-not-fully-indian-swamys-attack-on-rajan-reflects-paradox-of-bjps-approach-to-nris" target="_blank">insinuations</a> about the nationality of senior Indian policymakers.</p><p>But leaders only exploit the vulnerabilities of a post-fact world. The conditions have been laid by the digital sphere. A recent example springs to mind. There is a widespread belief on Indian social media that US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is somehow anti-India, pro-Pakistan, and/or anti-Modi. I am no supporter of Ms. Clinton, but as someone who worked on foreign affairs in Washington and knows many of her advisors, I found these claims baffling.</p><p>In fact, Clinton's political opponents (whether <a href="http://www.rediff.com/news/2007/jun/15clinton.htm" target="_blank">Barack Obama</a> in 2008 or <a href="http://indianexpress.com/article/world/world-news/donald-trump-hillary-clinton-foundation-india-us-nuclear-deal-amar-singh-cii-2875427/" target="_blank">Donald Trump</a> in 2016) have accused her of being too close to India, while Pakistanis often view her as <a href="http://www.dawn.com/news/1114535" target="_blank">critical</a> of their country and Prime Minister Modi appears to enjoy <a href="http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/clintons-meet-narendra-modi/" target="_blank">cordial relations</a> with her. After some inquiries, and a few tips, I managed to trace these sentiments to a single publication, a poorly sourced and misleading <a href="http://www.sunday-guardian.com/news/obama-quietly-reverses-hillarys-get-modi-policy" target="_blank">column</a> that gained widespread circulation upon its release. The article's contents were deemed sufficiently credible to have now become instilled as absolute fact in the minds of many Indians active online. In a digital democracy, a lie or (better yet) a half-lie if told enough times becomes truth.</p><p>Another outcome of digital democracy may be a variation of what the psychologist Barry Schwartz has <a href="https://books.google.co.in/books?id=g422yyua-P8C" target="_blank">called</a> the paradox of choice. Quite possibly, the greater abundance of political choice leads to less satisfaction, and the result is citizens increasingly voicing their displeasure with their available political and policy choices.</p><p>The political platforms of mainstream parties rarely adhere entirely to individual voters' views. That may explain why many voters are gravitating towards parties, factions or leaders who offer the simplest messages, and project themselves as alternatives to the mainstream.</p><p>A third result of digital democracy, and one that has been better documented, is the political echo chamber. Social media, rather than creating connections with people who possess differing views and ideologies, tends to reinforce prejudices. As the psychologist Nicholas DiFonzo has <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2011/04/21/barack-obama-and-the-psychology-of-the-birther-myth/the-echo-chamber-effect" target="_blank">noted</a>, "Americans across the political spectrum tend to trust the news media (and 'facts' provided by the media) less than their own social group."</p><p>This makes it easier for views and rumours to circulate and intensify within like-minded groups. Similar digital gerrymandering was evident in the EU Referendum in Britain and the polarization is palpable in the Indian online political space.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Olivia Harris/Reuters</span></p><p class="caption">Nigel Farage.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Finally, instant information has increased the theatricality of politics. With public statements and positions by governments, political parties and individual leaders now broadcast to constituents in real time, compromise, a necessary basis of good governance, has become more difficult. When portrayed as a betrayal of core beliefs, compromise often amounts to political suicide.</p><p>Political grandstanding also contributes to legislative gridlock, with elected representatives often resorting to <a href="http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/walkout-in-ls-over-v-k-singhs-remark/" target="_blank">walkouts</a>, <a href="http://www.wired.com/2016/06/house-sit-went-people-made-happen/" target="_blank">sit-ins</a>, or <a href="http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/dennis-skinner-called-prime-minister-7734873" target="_blank">insults</a> -- all manufactured for maximum viral effect -- instead of trying to reach solutions behind closed doors. Even as ease of travel allows legislators to spend more time in their constituencies, making them more sensitized to their constituents' concerns, less gets done at the national or supranational level. It is a trend that, once again, applies equally to the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/01/us/politics/congress-shutdown-debate.html?_r=0" target="_blank">United States</a>, <a href="http://www.euractiv.com/section/social-europe-jobs/news/merkel-freezes-germany-s-debate-over-new-immigration-law/" target="_blank">Europe</a>, and <a href="http://www.firstpost.com/politics/parliament-logjam-can-congress-beat-bjps-record-of-disruption-2361104.html" target="_blank">India</a>.</p><p><span>The unintended consequences of digital democracy -- misinformation and discontent, polarization and gridlock -- mean that the boundary between politician and troll is blurring. The tone of democratic politics increasingly reflects that of anonymous online discourse: nasty, brutish, and short. And successful politicians are increasingly those who are able to take advantage of the resulting sentiments. </span></p><p><span>Exploiting divisions, appealing to base instincts, making outlandish claims, resorting to falsehoods, and pooh-poohing details and expertise. All that could just as easily describe the playbooks of populists around the world, on the right and left: Marine Le Pen, Frauke Petry, Donald Trump or Subramanian Swamy as much as Jeremy Corbyn, Beppe Grillo, Bernie Sanders or Arvind Kejriwal.</span></p><div itemprop="articleBody"><p>In all these cases, populists are willing to cross the lines that mainstream parties have flirted with, becoming forces that the centre cannot hold. US Republicans <a href="http://nbclatino.com/2013/07/24/poll-anti-immigrant-rhetoric-hurts-republicans-in-battleground-states/" target="_blank">fanned</a> the anti-immigration sentiments that first the Tea Party and then Trump are only taking to their natural conclusions, just as mainstream Democrats' economic protectionism has been seized upon by Sanders.</p><p>Cameron's <a href="http://www.economist.com/blogs/bagehot/2011/11/britain-and-eu-0" target="_blank">euroscepticism</a>, explained away initially as constructive criticism, spiralled out of control with Brexit, just as those who pronounced the <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/labour/8026708/Ed-Miliband-New-Labour-is-dead.html" target="_blank">death of New Labour</a> helped paved the way for Corbyn. Will the same one day apply in India, to the economic populism of the Congress, of which Kejriwal has become a new torchbearer, or to the chauvinism of the right, which Swamy now threatens to run away with?</p><p>Brexit is not anti-globalization so much as a product of globalization. It is also a product of democracy rather than an affront to it. But it is a democracy of a different sort, one that many of its ideological forebears anticipated.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>REUTERS/Neil Hall</span></p><p class="caption">Vote leave supporters wave Union flags, following the result of the EU referendum, outside Downing Street in London, Britain June 24, 2016.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>When James Madison <a href="http://www.constitution.org/fed/federa10.htm" target="_blank">warned</a> of "the superior force of an interested and overbearing majority," or John Stuart Mill <a href="https://books.google.co.in/books?id=7DcoAAAAYAAJ" target="_blank">cautioned</a> against "a social tyranny more formidable than many kinds of political oppression," or BR Ambedkar <a href="https://books.google.co.in/books?id=Eio8BQAAQBAJ&amp;pg" target="_blank">argued</a> (in a slightly different context) that "political tyranny is nothing compared to social tyranny," they could just as easily have been speaking in 2016 as in 1787, 1859, or 1936. Democrats around the world may not yet be married to the mob, but plenty have been betrothed.</p><p>None of this should be interpreted as some kind of nostalgia for an older, simpler world. That world was not necessarily simpler, but it was more <a href="http://www.amazon.in/Better-Angels-Our-Nature-Violence/dp/0143122010" target="_blank">violent and chaotic, prejudiced and unfair</a>, and <a href="http://www.amazon.in/Great-Escape-Health-Origins-Inequality/dp/0691165629" target="_blank">poor and backward</a>. It may be hard to discern amid the smoke and noise, but there are some benefits to digital democracy. Information is no longer in the hands of the few.</p><p>It is easier than ever to bring injustices to light. And the same process can throw up mainstream leaders from backgrounds that are far from privileged, such as a <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/politics/wp/2015/05/26/heres-how-the-first-president-of-the-social-media-age-has-chosen-to-connect-with-americans/" target="_blank">Barack Obama</a>, <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/12/01/quiet-german" target="_blank">Angela Merkel</a>, or <a href="https://books.google.co.in/books?id=sJUfAwAAQBAJ&amp;pg=PT54#v=onepage&amp;q&amp;f=false" target="_blank">Narendra Modi</a>. Two of the three, Obama and Modi, rose to power on the backs of unprecedented social media movements.</p><p>But representative democracy as we have come to know it is under threat, and Brexit represents the first major casualty. Rather than fight the tide, a collective rethink is needed about how to make democracies resilient and productive in the digital age. It won't be easy.</p></div>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-us-navy-just-flexed-its-muscles-in-the-worlds-most-contested-region-2016-6">The US Navy just flexed its muscles in the world's most contested region</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="pjZ21hNDE68K5rW-eqJMqAdR3UKOkBx3" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

You Searched For "Fonzo" and got 8 results

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So it's OK to do drugs at work now?

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