Four U.S. lawmakers, including Democratic House Reps. Earl Blumenauer, Jim McGovern, Barbara Lee, and Tony Cardenas, have formally requested that the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) investigate Elon Musk for potential securities fraud. The allegations stem from concerns that Musk may have misled investors about the safety of Neuralink, his company focused on developing brain implants. The lawmakers sent a letter to the SEC on Tuesday, urging scrutiny into Musk’s comments.
The inquiry request comes as Neuralink is on the verge of conducting its first human trials with the brain implant, a significant step for the company’s goal of assisting patients with paralysis and various neurological conditions.
The lawmakers’ letter refers to veterinary records from Neuralink’s monkey experiments, revealing severe health issues, including paralysis, seizures, and brain swelling. Shockingly, the letter states that at least 12 healthy monkeys were euthanized due to problems with Neuralink’s implant.
Despite these findings, Musk allegedly downplayed concerns raised by investors regarding the outcomes of animal testing. In a post on his social media site, X, Musk claimed, “no monkey has died as a result of a Neuralink implant” and asserted that “terminal” monkeys were chosen to minimize risk to healthy ones.
The SEC inquiry is sought based on the lawmakers’ belief that evidence shows a direct connection between animal deaths in Neuralink experiments and the safety and marketability of the brain-computer interface. Musk’s denial of any such connection may potentially violate SEC rules, according to the letter.
Last year, Reuters reported that Neuralink employees disclosed rushed and flawed surgeries on animals, including monkeys, pigs, and sheep, leading to unnecessary deaths. The urgency reportedly came from Musk, pressuring staff to provide safety data required by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for human testing authorization.
In May, Neuralink announced FDA clearance for its first human clinical trial without divulging specific details about the planned study. Neuralink has not yet responded to requests for comments on the lawmakers’ letter to the SEC.
