Elon Musk Pushes Brain Implant Production as $14.7 Million Texas Facility Takes Shape

Neuralink, Elon Musk’s brain-implant company, is hiring big. They're looking for manufacturing technicians and microfabrication specialists to help "boost production." Job listings popped up on Neuralink's website recently and hiring events have also been held at their California and Texas facilities this month.

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This push signals that Neuralink is gearing up for large-scale production, which is earlier than is typical for most medical device companies. Tinglong Dai, a professor at Johns Hopkins, told Business Insider, "That's wild for a company that's only implanted two devices in their trial." But it's not entirely shocking, given Musk's style. Dai pointed to Musk's history with Tesla's "production hell." He said the experience might be driving Neuralink's rapid manufacturing ramp-up.

According to Musk, the company's implants are designed to be a “Fitbit in your skull.” Initially, the tech aims to help people with neurological disorders. Long term, Musk says it could allow users to send messages or play video games just by thinking about them.

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Jobs and Pay

Neuralink is offering $22 an hour for manufacturing technicians in Texas. Those roles focus on producing brain implants and accessories and might require working weekends or long hours. In California, wages are higher – between $28.85 and $44.23 an hour – for technicians building the R1 Surgical Robot, which automates the implantation process.

This hiring push is part of a broader effort. Neuralink has over 30 job openings on its careers page, with more than 600 people already working there. Many of these employees previously worked at Tesla or SpaceX.

Neuralink's ambitions don't stop at hiring. The company is expanding its physical footprint. They filed plans for a $14.7 million, 112,000-square-foot facility near Austin, Texas. Construction details hint at a big move toward ramping up production capacity.

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Neuralink isn't without challenges. Reuters reported earlier this year that the FDA approved human trials for the implants after rejecting an earlier bid in 2023 due to safety concerns. Issues included overheating and problems with wires connected to the brain chip. So far, two patients have received implants. One of them experienced complications with loose wires. However, the company was approved to begin clinical trials in Canada this week. The company posted on X that it is looking for clinical volunteers with quadriplegia due to ALS or SCI.

John Donoghue, a neuroscientist on BrainGate, told Business Insider that Neuralink's production efforts are unusual. "Typically, at this stage, you'd be handcrafting the device. You wouldn't be expecting to scale production until you'd fully finalized it."

Still, Musk is pushing forward, blending his signature fast-paced approach with groundbreaking technology. Whether Neuralink can meet Musk’s lofty goals remains to be seen, but the $14.7 million Texas facility and hiring spree suggest he's all in.

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