At the heart of technological innovation, where unicorns are born and billion-dollar ideas emerge over a coffee break, a remarkable trend is taking place. Not in public, not on the front page of the New York Times, but whispering between meetings, in Slack channels and on walks through the hills of Palo Alto: microdosing.
Not as escapism, but as optimisation. Not to escape, but to thrive. Microdosing is the new biohacking for Silicon Valley's elite: the founders, engineers, investors and visionaries who are shaping the future.
What is Microdosing
Microdosing means taking a sub-perceptual amount of a psychedelic substance, usually psilocybin (from magic truffles or mushrooms) or LSD. The dose is so low (typically 5-10% of a full trip) that it doesn't make you hallucinate or get 'high', but it does boost your mood, focus and creativity.
Many users report increased concentration, reduced anxiety, deeper problem-solving skills and a heightened sense of connection. Science is now catching up with these effects, with a growing number of studies exploring the cognitive and emotional benefits.
Steve Jobs
Tech pioneers' love of mind-altering drugs is nothing new. Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple, called his experiences with LSD "one of the two or three most important things" he had done in his life. In interviews, he indicated that psychedelics took his creativity and intuition to another level, something inextricably linked to Apple's DNA.
But where LSD was still used for spiritual exploration in the 60s and 70s, it is now microdoses that are taking Silicon Valley by storm. Not flower power, but focus power.
In recent years, several prominent figures from the Tech world have admitted or suggested (sometimes openly, sometimes through anonymous sources) that microdosing is part of their routine.
Tech Pioneers
1. Tim Ferriss - Author of The 4-Hour Workweek, investor and great advocate of psychedelic research.
2. Ayelet Waldman - Author of the book A Really Good Day on her microdosing experiences.
3. Paul Stamets - Mycologist and creator of the 'Stamets Stack', popular among biohackers.
4. Joe Rogan - Podcast giant and well-known promoter of psychedelics.
5. Dave Asprey - Founder of Bulletproof and biohacker avant la lettre.
6. Daniel Ek (Spotify) and Sergey Brin (Google) - According to insiders, they too are enthusiastic users.
Silicon Valley is not about standard performance. Here, you have to invent the impossible. With endless workloads, competition and constant calls for disruption, many are looking for legal ways to stay mentally fit.
Microdosing offers:
- Creative breakthroughs in problem solving
- Enhanced focus without jittery side effects of caffeine
- Emotional resilience and stress reduction
- More empathetic leadership and better collaboration
A growing number of startups are now focusing on psychedelics, such as MindMed, Compass Pathways, Third Wave and Microdosing Institute.
Research from institutions such as Johns Hopkins, Imperial College London and Maastricht University tentatively confirms the cognitive and therapeutic benefits of microdosing.
In a world where technology is evolving at lightning speed, it is perhaps not surprising that the human mind wants to grow with it. Microdosing is not just hype in Silicon Valley, but a conscious decision to develop one's own consciousness.
Want to discover for yourself what microdosing can do for your focus, creativity or well-being? Visit https://microdosingxp.com/nl/verkooppunten/ For education, experiences and reliable microdosing truffles.