MuskWatch reported for the first time on the details of Neuralink’s April filing. The SBA’s website explains how a company which has 51% owned and controlled by one or more “disadvantaged” persons must be “socially disadvantaged and economically disadvantaged”. An SDB designation can also help a business “gain preferential access to federal procurement opportunities,” as the SBA website mentions.
The Department of Justice has previously fined companies for making false claims about their SBD status.
Musk is also known as the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, in addition to his other businesses, such as AI startup xAI and tunneling venture The Boring Company. In 2022, Musk was the lead on the $44 billion purchase of Twitter, that had later renamed X before merging it with xAI.
On the filing from April, Jered Birchall, one of Neuralink's executives, was listed as the contact person. Birchall, who also managed Musk’s money as head of his family office.
Also worth mentioning is the fact that Neuralink, which was incorporated in Nevada, closed a $650 million funding round at the start of June at a $9 billion valuation. Neuralink also said that the fresh capital would help the company bring its technology to more patients and develop the latest devices that “deepen the connection between biological and artificial intelligence.
More so, during his tenure at DOGE, Musk assumed the lead at government agencies that prioritized diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).
