Elon Musk‘s brain-implant company, Neuralink, falsely claimed “disadvantaged business” status from Small Business Administration—a designation normally reserved for minority-owned companies that experience hardship competing in free markets. As Caleb Encarma reports for MuskWatch, the dodgy filings stretch back a number of years.
Elon Musk’s $9 billion neuro-technology company falsely self-certified as a ‘small disadvantaged business’ (SDB) on a federal filing, a designation that qualifies the company for preferential treatment as part of a racial and ethnic diversity initiative. The SDB designation can also only be legally claimed by companies owned by ‘economically disadvantaged individuals.’ Neuralink, which is developing implantable brain-computer interfaces, registered with the government as an SDB while Musk leveraged his position at the White House to cut federal funding for diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.
The SBA—led by Kelly Loeffler, Trump associate, disgraced-former senator and gop megadonor—sets the standards for Small Disadvantaged Businesses, and Musk’s Neuralink meets essentially none of them.
A SDB must be ‘unconditionally and directly’ majority-owned (51%) by a member of a socially and economically disadvantaged group, meaning a demographic ‘subjected to racial or ethnic prejudice or cultural bias.’ Even if a business clears that hurdle, not all are eligible for the designation. To be considered an SDB, the company must also be majority-owned by an “economically disadvantaged individual.” Musk, the owner of Neuralink, has an estimated net worth of $404 billion. A South Africa-born white man raised in the Anglican Church, Musk is also not a part of any recognized disadvantaged ethnic or racial group.
The MuskWatch piece goes on to note that Department of Justice has, in the past, prosecuted numerous business caught submitting false self-certification claims to federal regulators.
Also of note is the January firing of Phyllis Fong, Department of Agriculture‘s inspector general who had been investigating Neuralink.
AUTHOR FOOTNOTE
When taken together with revelations from March that Musk and/or goons inside Tesla reportedly orchestrated a theft of EV rebates in Canada, or how Musk’s America PAC was credibly accused of defrauding voters by scraping data via nefarious means—I do believe we got us an established pattern of behavior.
To be fair to Elmo, the pattern of corruption was clear long before those episodes. But when you zoom out to 33,000 feet everything becomes clearer.
As an adopted Georgian, I can say with confidence that Kelly freakin’ Loeffler is one of the least-liked of all the morbidly wealthy folks in our great state. Also, you’ll be forgiven for quickly assuming Loeffler’s SBA (where an “Appeal to Heaven” flag was spotted earlier this year) will do absolutely nothing about Leon making false statements to the federal government.
Heck, she might even send a muffin basket.
