Provigil is Silicon Valley Entrepreneur’s Drug of Choice

Power blogger Michael Arrington of TechCrunch has been called one of the most powerful and influential figures on the internet by TIME Magazine, Wired Magazine and Forbes. Arrington recently identified the secret pharmaceutical weapon that is the “drug of choice” for Silicon Valley’s entrepreneurs and executives - modafinil more commonly known by the trade name Provigil (”How Many Silicon Valley Startup Executives Are Hopped Up On Provigil?,” July 15).

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But since the main effect of Provigil is to keep you awake and able to concentrate, a lot of people who get their hands on it use it to be able to work longer hours, even though it has not been deemed safe for that kind of use.

Recreational Provigil user testimonials are all over the web. Not only are people able to work with little or no sleep, the drug has the advantage of spurring weight loss and some users report a general mood enhancing side effect. The U.S. military has also reportedly tested it on helicopter and F117 pilots to see if they remain effective for up to 88 hours without sleep.

There are few side effects to Provigil compared to stimulants and it is supposedly not habit forming. That, of course, doesn’t mean it’s safe to take it just to be able to stay awake for 20 hours a day.

What’s so funny is that entrepreneurs apparently aren’t interested in typical drugs - instead they find the one that gives them a mental and stamina advantage. Perhaps some enterprising venture capitalist will start requiring founders of their companies to get a prescription in order to close on an investment.

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Michael Arrington post on Provigil, while not an endorsement of the performance enhancing drug for entrepreneurial doping, is expected to have a considerable impact. After all, TIME, Wired and Forbes feel Arrington is influential for a very good reason (”TechCrunch Blogger Michael Arrington Can Generate Buzz … and Cash,” June 22, 2007).

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To the world outside Silicon Valley’s tight-knit community of startups, venture capitalists, and angel investors, TechCrunch is just another mouthy blog. But to entrepreneurs in the white-hot consumer Internet boom — known to many as Web 2.0 — Arrington has become a power broker…

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VCs and entrepreneurs read Arrington for the same reason they pay attention to any top journalist or columnist: He’s smart, sourced up, and ahead of the curve. “He has more information than any of us,” says David Hornik… Arrington breaks news… well ahead of the mainstream media.

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Commenters on the TechCrunch post were quick to share their experiences with Provigil as well as their criticisms of the irresponsibility of Arrington’s post. Cephalon, the manufacturer of Provigil, quickly sent Arrington an email clarifying the medical indications of Provigil. In response, Michael Arrington felt obligated to modify the original post:

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i made a few modifications to the post. i guess I thought most (all) people would just assume that it’s sort of idiotic to take prescription medication without talking to a doctor.

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Michael Arrington needs to be careful when he steps outside the comfort zone of business and technology news and into the societal hysteria on doping - whether it is sports doping, academic doping, or corporate doping. Then the discussion becomes a little less rational.

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Provigil is Silicon Valley Entrepreneur’s Drug of Choice

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