For the third time this year, there are renewed calls for the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to investigate allegations that Elon Musk provided misleading information to investors regarding the deaths of primates used in research by Neuralink, his brain-chip startup.
The latest concerns stem from Musk’s recent statements at the New York Times DealBook Summit, where he suggested that the primates chosen for experimentation were already close to death. An animal rights advocacy and research group, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, claims in a letter to federal regulators that Musk’s statements are inaccurate and could constitute “possible securities fraud.” This is the third such letter to the SEC since late September, requesting an investigation into Musk’s comments about Neuralink’s test subjects.
Records related to Neuralink’s research indicate a complex picture of the health of the monkeys used for developing the company’s brain-chip implants, set for human trials. The Physicians Committee’s letter specifically focuses on Musk’s interview with the New York Times on November 29, where he asserted that the experimented primates were already in a terminal state. The letter disputes Musk’s claim, citing veterinary records obtained last year, suggesting that experimental surgeries were performed on previously healthy primates, leading to complications such as infections, loosely implanted chips, and brain bleeding or swelling.
Pre-project veterinary records reveal that Neuralink’s test primates experienced stress, physical altercations, and trauma before their terminal surgeries or euthanasia. Musk’s characterization of Neuralink facilities as a “monkey paradise” is contradicted by earlier reports revealing that primates survived for weeks after experiments with names like “cranial heat dissipation study” or “electrode insertion survivability study.”
The Physicians Committee’s letter urges the SEC to investigate the matter and take appropriate action against Neuralink and Musk if necessary. This follows previous requests for an SEC inquiry from both the same organization and four members of the US House of Representatives. The SEC has not confirmed or denied an ongoing investigation into Musk’s comments.
