Connect with us
neuralink-animals neuralink-animals

News

Neuralink’s animal testing regulatory committee under fire for alleged conflict of interest

Credit: Neuralink/YouTube

Published

on

Recent reports have suggested that the majority of committee members overseeing animal testing at Neuralink possess financial interests in the brain-machine startup. Neuralink has been conducting animal trials as it seeks to secure permission to start human trials.

Elon Musk mentioned last year that Neuralink is hoping to secure permission for human trials in about six months, which translated then to around June 2023. Musk shared his estimate during Neuralink’s Show and Tell Fall 2022 event.

Federal law requires animal research facilities to establish a regulatory board known as the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC). As per an internal document obtained by Reuters, 19 of the 22 committee members at Neuralink also happened to be company employees as of last year.

While the law only requires one unaffiliated member, Dr. Miguel Nicolelis, a brain implant researcher at Duke University, noted that there is a conflict of interest within Neuralink’s IACUC. “It’s an obvious conflict of interest,” Dr. Nicolelis said.

The alleged conflict of interest among Neuralink’s IACUC members arises from the fact that employees typically hold equity in the company. As per the publication, some senior staff members at Neuralink could potentially earn millions if regulators approve the company’s brain implant. And while giving company shares to employees is not unusual for a Musk-led endeavor, a dozen animal research and bioethics experts told Reuters that it is unusual for IACUC members to have direct financial interests.

Advertisement

Neuralink did not immediately comment on the matter. It should also be noted that the committee’s composition might have changed since last year. 

Neuralink has not been immune to criticism, especially with regards to its animal testing practices. Last February, an animal rights group filed a complaint with the Department of Agriculture, alleging that monkeys used in the company’s research experienced “extreme suffering” due to insufficient care and invasive head implants.

The brain-machine startup opposed the group’s allegations, with the startup publishing a blog post emphasizing its commitment to the humane and ethical treatment of animals, stating, “At Neuralink, we are absolutely committed to working with animals in the most humane and ethical way possible,” the company said.

Don’t hesitate to contact us with news tips. Just send a message to simon@teslarati.com to give us a heads-up.

Advertisement

Simon is an experienced automotive reporter with a passion for electric cars and clean energy. Fascinated by the world envisioned by Elon Musk, he hopes to make it to Mars (at least as a tourist) someday. For stories or tips--or even to just say a simple hello--send a message to his email, simon@teslarati.com or his handle on X, @ResidentSponge.

Advertisement
Comments

Elon Musk

Tesla Board Chair discusses what is being done to protect CEO Elon Musk

Published

on

Credit: xAI

Tesla Board Chair Robyn Denholm met with Bloomberg this morning to discuss a variety of topics, but perhaps one of the most interesting was her comments on what is being done to protect company CEO Elon Musk.

After the assassination of right-wing political commentator Charlie Kirk this week, there have been concerns about Musk’s safety, as well as that of other high-profile business leaders and political figures.

Earlier this week, Musk said himself that his security detail would be increased significantly following Kirk’s death, a move that many investors and fans of the company had requested because of political violence.

Elon Musk assures Tesla investors he will enhance his security detail

“Definitely need to enhance security,” Musk said. Tesla spent $3.3 million on Musk’s security in 2024 and January and February 2025. For reference, Meta spent over $27 million on Mark Zuckerberg’s security last year, which is higher than any other tech CEO.

During Denholm’s appearance on Bloomberg TV earlier today, she stated that the company has been focused on Musk’s security detail for “many years,” especially considering he is one of the richest people on Earth and holds an incredible amount of influence.

“It is something that we take very seriously; he takes it very seriously as well. So, again, from a board perspective, it is something we’ve discussed at length,” Denholm said.

Denholm added that she believes “there is not anyone in a boardroom that is not touched by what has happened with Charlie Kirk.”

Although Musk’s political involvement has toned down significantly in the past, he still has enemies, especially based on groups that oppose him and the company specifically. Based on this week’s events, it feels that increased security is a necessary expense Tesla must account for.

Continue Reading

Investor's Corner

Tesla bear turns bullish for two reasons as stock continues boost

“I think from a trading perspective, it looks very interesting,” Nathan said, citing numerous signs of strength, such as holding its 200-day moving average and holding against its resistance level.

Published

on

Credit: Tesla Manufacturing

A Tesla bear is changing his tune, turning bullish for two reasons as the company’s stock has continued to get a boost over the past month.

Dan Nathan, a notorious skeptic of Tesla shares, said he is changing his tune, at least in the short term, on the company’s stock because of “technicals and sentiment,” believing the company is on track for a strong Q3, but also an investment story that will slowly veer away from its automotive business.

“I think from a trading perspective, it looks very interesting,” Nathan said, citing numerous signs of strength, such as holding its 200-day moving average and holding against its resistance level.

He also said he believes a rally for the stock could continue as it heads into the end of the quarter, especially as the $7,500 electric vehicle tax credit is coming to an end at the end of the month.

With that being said, he believes the consensus for Q3 deliveries is “probably low,” as he believes Wall Street is likely underestimating what Tesla will bring to the table on October 1 or 2 when it reports numbers for the quarter.

Tesla shares are already up over five percent today, with gains exceeding nine percent over the past five trading days, and more than fourteen percent in the past month.

While some analysts are looking at the performance of other Mag 7 stocks, movement on rates from the Federal Reserve, and other broader market factors as reasoning for Tesla’s strong performance, it appears some movement could be related to the company’s recent developments instead.

Over the past week, Tesla has made some strides in its Robotaxi program, including a new license to test the platform in the State of Nevada, which we reported on.

Tesla lands regulatory green light for Robotaxi testing in new state

Additionally, the company is riding the tails of the end of the EV tax credit, as inventory, both new and used, is running extremely low, generally speaking. Many markets do not have any vehicles to purchase as of right now, making delivery by September 30 extremely difficult.

However, there has been some adjustments to the guidelines by the IRS, which can be read here:

Tesla set to win big after IRS adjusts EV tax credit rules

Tesla is trading at around $389 at 10:56 a.m. on the East Coast.

Continue Reading

News

Tesla lands regulatory green light for Robotaxi testing in new state

This will be the third state in total where Tesla is operating Robotaxi, following Austin and California.

Published

on

Credit: Tesla

Tesla has landed a regulatory green light to test its Robotaxi platform in a new state, less than three months after the ride-hailing service launched in Texas.

Tesla first launched its driverless Robotaxi suite in Austin, Texas, back on June 22. Initially offering rides to a small group of people, Tesla kept things limited, but this was not to be the mentality for very long.

It continued to expand the rider population, the service area, and the vehicle fleet in Austin.

The company also launched rides in the Bay Area, but it does use a person in the driver’s seat to maintain safety. In Austin, the “Safety Monitor” is present in the passenger’s seat during local rides, and in the driver’s seat for routes that involve highway driving.

Tesla is currently testing the Robotaxi platform in other states. We reported that it was testing in Tempe, Arizona, as validation vehicles are traveling around the city in preparation for Robotaxi.

Tesla looks to make a big splash with Robotaxi in a new market

Tesla is also hoping to launch in Florida and New York, as job postings have shown the company’s intention to operate there.

However, it appears it will launch in Nevada before those states, as the company submitted its application to obtain a Testing Registry certification on September 3. It was processed by the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles Office of Business Licensing on September 10.

It will then need to self-certify for operations, essentially meaning they will need to comply with various state requirements.

This will be the third state in total where Tesla is operating Robotaxi, following Austin and California.

CEO Elon Musk has stated that he believes Robotaxi will be available to at least half of the U.S. population by the end of the year. Geographically, Tesla will need to make incredible strides over the final four months of the year to achieve this.

Continue Reading

Trending