Elon Musk's Neuralink Said To Be Under Federal Probe For Animal Abuse, Deaths As Workers Point To Pressure From Billionaire

Elon Musk's Neuralink is reportedly under a federal probe for causing suffering and deaths to animals. 

What Happened: The investigation was opened in recent months by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Inspector General at the behest of a federal prosecutor, Reuters reported, citing two people familiar with the matter.

The focus of the investigation is on violations of the Animal Welfare Act, a law concerned with how researchers treat and test certain animals, according to one of the sources quoted in the report.

Neuralink did not immediately respond to Benzinga’s request for comment.

Why It Matters: Employee dissent has risen at Neuralink and there are complaints that Musk is exerting pressure to hasten development, which has resulted in failed experiments, reported Reuters, after reviewing internal company documents.

Failed experiments have to be repeated, which results in a rising number of animals being tested and killed, Neuralink employees said, according to the report.

Musk recently said at a Neuralink “Show & Tell” event that the company’s brain-chip implant device would be ready to be placed in humans in 6 months. He said the company was not “cavalier” in implanting devices into animals and Neuralink’s testing is “confirmatory and not exploratory.”

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