[pvg]

I don't think it's prevalent or universal but at the same time, how many people come up to their consultant (triply so for a security-related one) and say 'I just crushed and snorted a couple of adderall'. It seems like an even worse way to get such data than openly asking pseudonymous strangers on a message board.

[tptacek]

You're probably mostly right (I was closer to some of my clients than you'd expect from "security consultant", though). I'm just a data point.

I think there's an outsider perspective on the industry that is very invested in the notion that successful startup founders are generally chemically enhanced. I think that's false, and harmful for obvious reasons. When I ask startup people I know about it, I generally hear the same thing. But: limited visibility.

(I really don't care about adderall; I know a bunch of people with ADHD scripts, and they all seem to need it. I'm more concerned about stuff like modafanil.)

[pvg]

I was kind of not-all-that-seriously going for the 'known NSA shill tptacek is obviously also a narc' thing but now I'm curious why you find modafinil more potentially worrisome than adderall?