History of Neuralink in Timeline

Neuralink is an American neurotechnology company founded by Elon Musk and others in 2016. It focuses on developing implantable brain-computer interfaces (BCIs). The company publicly announced its existence in March 2017 and, as of 2024, has made progress in creating these interfaces.

2016: Neuralink Launched

In 2016, Neuralink was launched by Elon Musk and eight scientists and engineers to develop implantable brain–computer interfaces (BCIs).

2016: Haptic Feedback Demonstrated with Robotic Arm

In 2016, a man used a robotic prosthetic arm to give President Obama a fist bump, demonstrating haptic feedback.

January 2017: Musk approached Mohseni and Nudo

In January 2017, Musk proxies approached Pedram Mohseni and Randolph Nudo, who owned the rights to the name "NeuraLink" and the prototype on which Musk's company based its work.

March 2017: First Public Report

In March 2017, Neuralink was first publicly reported after being launched in 2016.

April 2017: Aims and Goals Announced

In April 2017, Neuralink announced its short-term goals to treat serious brain diseases and its long-term goal of human enhancement.

2017: Researchers Comment on Neuralink's Prospects

In 2017, IEEE Spectrum magazine asked five researchers, including Thomas Oxley, for comments on Neuralink. Oxley called the Neuralink developments "exciting" but expected no real results in the foreseeable future.

September 2018: Musk's Ownership and Rapoport's Departure

As of September 2018, Elon Musk was the majority owner of Neuralink, but did not hold an executive position. Also in 2018, co-founder Benjamin Rapoport left Neuralink due to safety concerns and later founded Precision Neuroscience.

2019: Funding and Device Development

By 2019, Neuralink had received $158 million in funding. At that time, the company announced it was developing a sewing machine-like device to implant threads into the brain and demonstrated a system reading information from a lab rat.

2019: Prototype Presentation

In 2019, Neuralink publicly revealed the technology of its first prototype during a live presentation, detailing the ultra-thin probes, neurosurgical robot, and high-density electronic system.

July 2020: FDA Breakthrough Device Designation

In July 2020, Neuralink obtained a FDA breakthrough device designation, allowing limited human testing under FDA guidelines for medical devices.

August 2020: Internal Conflict and Headquarters Location

By August 2020, Stat News reported that Neuralink had seen "years of internal conflict." Also in 2020, Neuralink was headquartered in San Francisco's Mission District.

August 2020: Live Demo with Gertrude the Pig

In August 2020, Neuralink conducted a live demo showcasing the brain activity of a pig named Gertrude. A coin-sized device implanted in Gertrude's brain recorded signals in real time.

August 2020: Neuralink Device Demonstration and Criticism

In August 2020, during a live demonstration, Elon Musk described the Neuralink device as "a Fitbit in your skull". Several neuroscientists and publications criticized these claims. MIT Technology Review reported that the demonstration's main objective was to "stir excitement". Andrew Jackson, a professor at Newcastle University, stated that there was nothing revolutionary in the presentation.

2020: Partnership with UC Davis Ends

From 2017 to 2020, Neuralink's experiments on monkeys were conducted in partnership with University of California, Davis. UC Davis transferred seven monkeys to Neuralink at the end of the partnership.

2020: Criticism of Neuralink's Novelty Claims

In 2020, Thiago Arzua argued that Neuralink's functions were not novel, citing the robotic arm with haptic feedback from 2016. He stated that the 2020 Neuralink presentation "showed little more than a flashy new design for a BMI with more electrodes". Miguel Nicolelis criticized Neuralink's claims of novelty, stating that his lab had performed similar feats in the early 2000s.

April 2021: Monkey Plays Pong

In April 2021, Neuralink demonstrated a monkey playing the game "Pong" using a Neuralink implant, showcasing advancements in wireless implants and electrode count.

May 2021: Hodak's Departure

In May 2021, Neuralink co-founder and president Max Hodak announced he no longer worked with the company.

January 2022: Co-founder Departure

As of January 2022, only two of the eight co-founders remained at Neuralink.

February 2022: Denial of Animal Abuse

In February 2022, Neuralink denied allegations of animal abuse and confirmed that macaque monkeys were euthanized after experimentation.

December 2022: Federal Investigation

In December 2022, Neuralink was reported to be under federal investigation by the USDA for animal welfare violations, with reports of rushed testing causing animal suffering.

2022: Pig Testing and Granuloma Development

In 2022, after being rejected for human clinical trials, Neuralink performed more tests on pigs, some of whom developed granulomas in their brains, the cause of which Neuralink could not determine.

2022: Animal Welfare Allegations

In 2022, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) alleged that Neuralink and UC Davis mistreated monkeys, leading to suffering and deaths in experiments conducted from 2017-2020.

May 2023: Approval for Human Trials

As of May 2023, Neuralink received approval to begin human trials in the United States.

May 2023: FDA Approval for Human Clinical Trials

In May 2023, the FDA approved Neuralink's application to pursue human clinical trials, after initially rejecting it in 2022 due to safety concerns.

July 2023: USDA Investigation Results

In July 2023, a USDA investigation found no evidence of animal welfare breaches in Neuralink's trials, other than a self-reported incident from 2019, although the PCRM disputed these findings.

September 2023: Exposé on Primate Deaths

A September 2023 exposé by Wired provided details on primate deaths at Neuralink based on public records and confidential interviews, citing complications with electrode installations.

September 2023: First Human Trials Begin

In September 2023, Neuralink began its first human trials under an investigational device exemption from the FDA, recruiting people with quadriplegia or ALS.

October 2023: Report on Hidden Animal Suffering

In October 2023, Wired reported that Neuralink worked to keep details of animal suffering and death hidden from the public.

November 2023: SEC Investigation Request

In November 2023, U.S. lawmakers requested the Securities and Exchange Commission to investigate whether Neuralink deceived investors by omitting details about possible animal deaths.

January 29, 2024: First Human Implant

On January 29, 2024, Elon Musk announced that Neuralink had successfully implanted a Neuralink device in a human, and the patient was recovering.

February 8, 2024: Relocation of Business Incorporation

On February 8, 2024, Neuralink changed its business incorporation location from Delaware to Nevada after a court ruling against Elon Musk's pay package at Tesla.

March 20, 2024: Introduction of First Implant Recipient

On March 20, 2024, Neuralink introduced Noland Arbaugh, the first human recipient of a Neuralink implant in a clinical trial, who demonstrated his ability to control a computer cursor and play games. Arbaugh said that 85% of the device's implant threads had completely detached.

March 21, 2024: Blindsight Trial Update

On March 21, 2024, Elon Musk stated that Neuralink's second product, Blindsight, was working in trials with monkeys, and no monkey had died or been seriously injured, contradicting earlier reports.

May 29, 2024: Data Compression Challenge

On May 29, 2024, Elon Musk requested public input on a challenge facing Neuralink, requiring a data compression rate exceeding 200x for real-time data transmission.

August 2024: Second Trial Participant Implanted

In August 2024, Neuralink reportedly successfully implanted a chip in a second trial participant, pseudonym "Alex", after the FDA approved proposed fixes for a problem with the first participant.

September 2024: Blindsight Development

In September 2024, Neuralink announced its Blindsight development, aimed at restoring vision in blind people with undamaged visual cortexes. This development received "breakthrough" status from the U.S. federal government.

November 2024: Health Canada Approves Neuralink Clinical Trial

In November 2024, Neuralink received approval from Health Canada for its first clinical trial in that country, named CAN-PRIME and led by Andres M. Lozano.

December 2024: PCRM News Release on Monkey Experiments

In a December 2024 news release, PCRM wrote that documents from the University of California, Davis, reveal that implantation of Neuralink's device caused debilitating health effects in monkeys, resulting in euthanasia.

December 2024: SEC Investigation Reopened

The New York Times reported that in December 2024 the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) had reopened a separate investigation related to the alleged abuses.

January 2025: Inspectors General Fired

In January 2025, President Donald Trump fired 17 inspectors general, including Phyllis Fong, who was responsible for the Agriculture Department's investigation into Neuralink.