Elon Musk Warns Against One Important Industry

Elon Musk, beyond owning and operating a growing list of high-profile companies --  including Tesla  (TSLA) - Get Free Report, SpaceX, Neuralink and xAI -- loves chiming in on live Twitter debates. 

His latest position: therapy is a scheme. Friends are far better. 

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"Friends are far better than therapy," Musk tweeted July 17. "The incentive structure is to keep you hooked, never 'cured.' Be especially wary of therapists in expensive neighborhoods -- their true loyalty is to their landlord, not you."

Friends are far better than therapy. The incentive structure is to keep you hooked, never “cured”.

Be especially wary of therapists in expensive neighborhoods – their true loyalty is to their landlord, not you.— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 17, 2023

Despite the billionaire's eccentricity, this perspective on the industry is a common one: a 2021 poll found that 47% of Americans think "seeking therapy is a sign of weakness."

But clinical psychologists say that talking to a therapist is much different than talking to your friends. 

"Most people listen with the intent to respond. Friends have conversations, share personal information with each other and problem-solve in a social or caring way," Dr. Deborah Serani told PsychCentral. But therapists, she said, are trained to listen and encourage self-reflection and growth.

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Psychotherapist Jeffrey Sumber added that therapy is an objective pathway toward personal growth. 

"Our friends are oftentimes either happy for us or afraid for us but typically are not engineering their feedback to support long-term growth and change," he said. 

Between clear boundaries, objectivity, confidentiality and a focus on the individual, therapists say that friends are no real replacement for therapy. 

“In my times of personal trial, therapy was one place I knew I could go and not feel like I would hurt or burden anyone by sharing my true thoughts or feelings," Christina Hibbert, PsyD, said.