The Trump administration has made drastic cuts to federal employees since his inauguration on January 20. Several U.S. Food and Drug Administration employees have been released among the firings, some of which are connected to reviewing Elon Musk’s brain interface company, Neuralink.
Although the dismissed employees were said not to have been targeted for their work on Neuralink’s applications, the cuts leave the agency in a challenging situation, potentially diminishing the safety and efficiency of regulating brain-computer interface applications.
The news arrives amid ongoing controversies Neuralink has faced in recent months and concerns raised by legal experts over the extent of the cuts taking place under the new administration in Washington. Some have characterized the cuts as retribution in response to disloyalty against the president and those close to his administration, like Elon Musk.
On February 17, two sources who spoke on background with Reuters told the outlet that 20 people had been let go in the FDA’s Office of Neurological and Physical Medicine Devices. The office has reviewed brain-computer interface devices for companies, including Neuralink and others that have developed similar technologies in recent years.
Last year, the FDA granted the device a special designation to fast-track its development and federal review. Despite receiving top performance efforts and ratings since entering their positions, two sources said FDA reviewers were dismissed for “performance reasons.” Their supervisors weren’t consulted before the layoffs and only learned about them from the affected employees.
January 2025 marked one year since Neuralink’s human trials with brain interface chip implants began. Three people have been implanted with “The Link” to date.
All three candidates are reported to be in good health. Still, earlier in the year, Noland Arbaugh, the first person to receive Neuralink’s brain implant, revealed that 870 electrodes detached after the chip unexpectedly shifted from its original position in his skull. In response, Neuralink adjusted its algorithms to restore the device’s functionality.
Last December, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) identified “objectionable conditions or practices” and directed them toward Neuralink. Employees working for the company claimed mistreatment of animals used in its experiments. Neuralink’s animal testing practices drew federal scrutiny in June 2023, leading to an FDA inspection. In 2022, Reuters reported internal staff complaints claiming that Neuralink rushed experiments, resulting in unnecessary suffering and the deaths of pigs, monkeys, and other animals.
“While the company did receive citations related to documentation of its animal research, the FDA’s inspection did not find evidence of any violations that would undermine the device’s safety,” the FDA said.
With a death record of a monkey on file, The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine claims that invasive and often fatal experiments were conducted on rhesus macaques at the University of California, Davis, between 2017 and 2020. Neuralink employees have echoed the evidence found. However, Musk still claims no monkeys have died to date.
Chrissy Newton is a PR professional and founder of VOCAB Communications. She hosts the Rebelliously Curious podcast, which can be found on The Debrief’s YouTube Channel. Follow her on X: @ChrissyNewton and at chrissynewton.com.