Elon Musk’s Neuralink, a start-up that implants electrodes in brains, is being sued by a former worker who claims she was made to handle monkeys infected with Herpes B and then lost her job when she announced her pregnancy. The case brought on Friday at a Californian state court adds to escalating scrutiny of the firm’s animal treatment and workplace practices.
The suit against the Fremont site-based company accuses it of creating an environment where employees face unrealistic deadlines, scapegoating and bullying.According to Bloomberg, Short joined Neuralink in August 2022 and was dismissed after informing her superiors about her pregnancy.
In the complaint, Short says she had been forced to work with monkeys infected with herpes B virus, which is potentially fatal, without proper protective gear. She states that on one occasion a monkey scratched through her glove while during another incident she got scratched on her face. According to Short, when she sought medical attention for these wounds the company threatened “severe repercussions.”
Among other claims this lawsuit for retaliation wrongful termination gender bias etc. filed by Lindsay Short alleges that her employer did not live up to its agreement to let her have flexible working hours for family reasons; instead they demoted two months after promoting her in May 2023.
Neuralink has not yet responded to requests for comment regarding the lawsuit. Previously criticized for its animal research practices as it begins clinical trials on its brain implant aimed at paralyzed patients early stages of development.
The probe into potential violations of animal welfare laws faced by Neuralink emanated from internal complaints about rushed and botched animal tests due to Musk pressing staffs to speed up experiments causing unnecessary agony and deaths. In December 2022 Reuters reported that there was an investigation into violations of Animal Welfare Act at Neuralink’s facilities initiated by US Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General (OIG).
An animal rights group stated that previous testing on monkeys conducted by UC Davis together with Neuralink turned out to be a catastrophe resulting in severe complications and death. Incorrect surgical procedures were used by these two organizations, according to the group,” Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, and as a result experimental animals had to die needless deaths.”
Musk is famously known for pushing his teams hard and fast. A high-pressure workplace with Musk demanding that timelines be moved on faster has been experienced by employees at Neuralink, says Reuters. The Tesla CEO has been an outspoken critic of animal testing but says technologies aimed at helping those with extreme disabilities must develop quickly.
Multiple tests are conducted one after the other by Neuralink without necessarily resolving issues arising from previous trials; hence they go through repeated experiments which ends up claiming lives of additional animals. This has raised concerns among current & former staff about the accuracy of data generated and ethical dilemmas due to company’s approach in collecting this information.
Former employees said that Neuralink, to improve its public image, has been trying to create better lives for the experimental animals it uses, and has even built what they have called “Monkey Disneyland” or “monkey Taj Mahal.” But these steps have done little to alleviate the reaction against animal testing carried out by the firm.
The ongoing legal troubles and ethical dilemmas that Neuralink faces point to the larger challenges confronted by firms in high-stakes medical research arena where delivering on objectives may sometimes conflict with ethical and regulatory standards. As Neuralink presses forward with its efforts to bring brain-implant technology into the market space, it will likely face closer scrutiny concerning how well it takes care of both workers and animals.
