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Neuralink's valuation jump in secondary trades is in sharp contrast to other startups. About 85% of pre-IPO companies are currently valued in secondary trades at an average discount of 47% to their last funding round, according to data provider Caplight. The maximum amount sought for the Neuralink shares marketed for sale at a $7 billion valuation was just $500,000, according to the email seen by Reuters. Sim Desai, chief executive of Hiive, an online platform where the shares are traded, said demand for Neuralink stock has been "tremendous." Neuralink stock that some of the employees hold has jumped around 150% in value in just two years, based on the secondary trades.

Persons: Elon, Kip Ludwig, Musk, Neuralink, Sim Desai, Arun Sridhar, Sridhar, Galvani, Rachael Levy, Marissa Taylor, Krystal Hu, Greg Roumeliotis, David Gregorio Our Organizations: U.S . National Institutes of Health, Reuters, U.S . Food, GSK Plc, Sciences, FDA, U.S . Department of Agriculture, Department of Transportation, Thomson Locations: Neuralink's, U.S, Washington ,, New York

☆ Opus uses AI to help train up deskless workers. Check out the 19-slide pitch deck it used to raise $6.8 million.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-24 | by ( Riddhi Kanetkar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

New York-based Opus is using AI to train America's deskless workforce. A startup that uses AI to improve the training of non-office-based workers just raised $6.8 million in fresh funds. New York-based Opus, founded in 2020, has developed a platform that can help speed up employee onboarding for so-called deskless workers. Opus works as a mobile app, allowing employers to create training content tailored to every individual workplace. "By using AI, our content builder helps you build it faster than legacy solution," Nemeth told Insider.

Persons: onboarding, Rachael Nemeth, Nemeth, Klara Organizations: Vanderbilt University, Cable, Gutter, NextView Ventures Locations: York, New York

☆ U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins to Resign in Wake of Damning Ethics Reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Sadie Gurman | C. Ryan Barber | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

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☆ Watchdogs Upbraid U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins, in Blow to White House
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Sadie Gurman | C. Ryan Barber | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

☆ Massachusetts US attorney accused of multiple ethics violations
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Sarah N. Lynch | Thomson Reuters | Sarah N. Lynch Is The Lead Reporter For Reuters Covering The U.S. Justice Department Out Of Washington | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, May 17 (Reuters) - Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins improperly used her position at the Justice Department to try to influence the outcome of a local district attorney election by leaking negative and non-public information about a political rival, the department's internal watchdog said on Wednesday. That conclusion was among a litany of ethics violations uncovered by Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz in a scathing 161-page investigative report released a day after Rollins announced she would resign her post by Friday. Rollins, the first Black woman to serve as the U.S. attorney in Massachusetts, was appointed by President Joe Biden. She is a prominent figure in the "progressive prosecutor" movement that supports policies designed to eliminate racial disparities in the justice system. Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch and Rami AyyubOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Celtics Tickets, Political Revenge: U.S. Attorney Accused of Broad Misconduct
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Glenn Thrush | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The U.S. attorney for Massachusetts, Rachael S. Rollins, misused her office to “boost” a political ally, flouted ethics rules to obtain free tickets from the Boston Celtics and lied under oath to investigators, the Justice Department inspector general said on Wednesday. The 161-page report — one of the most extraordinary public denunciations of a sitting federal prosecutor in recent memory — was released a day after Ms. Rollins announced she would resign at the end of this week, conceding that she had become a harmful “distraction” in one of the department’s most important offices. Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz opened an investigation into Ms. Rollins last year after a published report that she had attended a July 2022 Democratic National Committee fund-raiser headlined by Jill Biden, the first lady. His team determined that those actions violated policies and laws against electioneering. But the inquiry rapidly expanded to encompass a striking range of apparent misconduct, including efforts to discredit a political rival and her acceptance of flights and a stay at a resort that were paid for by a sports and entertainment company, he said.

☆ Top federal prosecutor in Massachusetts to resign after damning ethics report
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The top federal prosecutor in Massachusetts will submit her resignation by the end of the week to President Joe Biden, her lawyer said Wednesday, after damning official reports found she had committed serious ethical misconduct. The Department of Justice's internal watchdog began a probe last year after U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Rachael Rollins attended a Democratic fundraiser last July featuring first lady Jill Biden, despite advice that this would violate ethics guidelines. "We found Rollins's conduct described throughout this report violated federal regulations, numerous DOJ policies, her Ethics Agreement, and applicable law, and fell far short of the standards of professionalism and judgment that the Department should expect of any employee, much less a U.S. Attorney," the DOJ Inspector General's Office said in its report. That 161-page report found Rollins, who was appointed as her state's top federal prosecutor by President Biden, used her official position to try to help the election effort of a fellow Democrat for the Suffolk County district attorney position. The report found that Rollins lied under oath about that effort when asked about it by investigators.

☆ Massachusetts US attorney to resign amid Justice Dept ethics probe
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Sarah N. Lynch | Thomson Reuters | Sarah N. Lynch Is The Lead Reporter For Reuters Covering The U.S. Justice Department Out Of Washington | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

WASHINGTON, May 16 (Reuters) - Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins will resign her post by Friday, her lawyer said on Tuesday, after the prosecutor became the subject of a wide-ranging ethics investigation by the Justice Department inspector general's office. Bromwich announced her decision to resign her post not long after Rollins met with officials in Washington at the Justice Department on Tuesday. Rollins was narrowly confirmed by the Senate in December 2021 after Vice President Kamala Harris cast the tie-breaking vote. "I warned Democratic senators that Rachael Rollins wasn't only a pro-criminal ideologue, but also had a history of poor judgment and ethical lapses," Cotton said in a statement on Tuesday. U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland had vowed when he assumed his post as the nation's top law enforcement official to protect the Justice Department from partisan influence.

☆ US lawmakers seek probe of how Elon Musk's brain chip venture oversees animal experiments
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( Rachael Levy | Thomson Reuters | Award-Winning Journalist Covering Corporate Governance. Her Reporting Has Prompted Federal Investigations | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File PhotoWASHINGTON, May 12 (Reuters) - U.S. lawmakers will ask regulators to investigate whether the make-up of a panel overseeing animal testing at Elon Musk's brain-chip startup Neuralink contributed to botched and rushed experiments. The lawmakers have shared the draft with peers to gather more signatures and plan to send it to the USDA on Monday. A spokesperson for Blumenauer said the USDA did not respond to an earlier request from lawmakers for a probe into Neuralink in the wake of that story. Musk and Neuralink representatives, and spokespeople for the USDA and the agency’s inspector general, did not respond to requests for comment. The Inspector General and the USDA did not respond to a request for comment on the progress of that investigation.

☆ I work as a performer on a cruise ship. Being away from home can be hard but it's allowed me to travel the world.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Beatrice Nolan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Rachael Hudson has worked as a singer on major cruise liners since July 2009. This is an as-told-to essay, based on a conversation with Rachael Hudson. It's a very fun job, but cruise performers have to work hard to get to where we are. Over the years, working on a cruise ship has become work that's much more sought after. Rachael Hudson by a palm tree.

The membership of the panel at Musk’s company, Neuralink, raises questions about potential violations of conflict-of-interest regulations aimed at protecting research integrity, a dozen animal-research and bioethics experts told Reuters. Autumn Sorrells has chaired an oversight board approving animal experiments by Elon Musk’s brain-chip startup, Neuralink, and also run the company’s animal care program. Reuters couldn’t determine the compensation terms of the Neuralink IACUC members who are also company employees. The independence of such boards, Nicolelis said, is critical to protecting the integrity of animal research that could impact humans in future clinical trials. These institutions generally prohibit people with direct financial interests from serving on IACUCs or voting on animal experiments.

☆ Consumers are ‘retrenching.’ What that means for recession fears
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Alicia Wallace | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

But for consumers, the lengthy spell in the crossfire of persistently high prices and rising interest rates has taken its toll. Inflation-adjusted consumer spending was flat in March, marking the fourth time in five months that expenditures held steady or declined. “Further deterioration in the job market — the last remaining leg propping up the consumer — is bound to accelerate the downshift in consumer spending in the coming months. Private label growth is one of six indicators that Allison tracks to determine a consumer recession. “If you ask the economists, ‘Are we in a recession?’ they’re going to say ‘No, we’re not in a recession,’” he said.

☆ Why Are More Men Getting Perms?
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( Wilson Wong | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Tyler Jung, 26, an analyst in New York City, said there were only two types of people in the world: those who understand the hairstyle and those who do not. For a little more money, a person can choose what’s known as a down perm, which relaxes and flattens stubborn strands that stick out, creating a smoother appearance. In the early 1900s, Garrett Morgan, a trailblazer for Black inventors, discovered an effective hair straightener, or what’s better known today as a relaxer. Instead of creating coils, this chemical treatment straightens tendrils. Though relaxers have historically been used among Black people and other communities who have natural curls, treatment and applications to accentuate these curls have contributed to some of the most iconic hairstyles for Black men.

☆ U.S. military leak suspect to appear in court; had arsenal, prosecutors say
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Tim Mclaughlin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jack Douglas Teixeira was arrested by the FBI on April 13 at his home in Massachusetts and charged with violating the Espionage Act. He is scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court in Worcester, Massachusetts on Thursday afternoon for his detention hearing. Prosecutors say the 21-year-old leaked classified documents, including some relating to troop movements in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, to a group of gamers on the messaging app Discord. In 2018, while in high school, Teixeira was suspended after he was overheard making racial threats and remarks about guns. Teixeira attributed those remarks to a reference in a video game, according to prosecutors.

☆ I've been a singer on cruise ships for more than 13 years. Being away for long stretches has its ups and downs — but it's hard to imagine giving it up.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Beatrice Nolan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Rachael Hudson has worked as a singer on major cruise liners since July 2009. This is an as-told-to essay, based on a conversation with Rachael Hudson. It's a very fun job, but cruise performers have to work hard to get to where we are. I ended up working on cruise ships and I've been doing it for more than 13 years. Rachael Hudson by a palm tree.

Amy Winslow, Hossein Maleknia and Reba Daoust misled Magellan customers and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) about when they discovered the defect, the extent of the problem and the risks associated with it, prosecutors said. Attorneys for Winslow and Daoust did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The company said all devices the malfunction affected have been cleared by the FDA “and will remain available for clinical use.”Magellan Diagnostics ultimately recalled all three devices in 2021 and resumed distribution last year, according to the FDA. The malfunction affected three of Magellan’s lead-testing devices, including one that accounted for more than half of all blood lead tests conducted in the U.S. between 2013 and 2017, according to prosecutors. Reporting by Andrew Goudsward Editing by David Bario and Josie KaoOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

March 27 (Reuters) - Elon Musk's brain implant company Neuralink has approached one of the biggest U.S. neurosurgery centers as a potential clinical trials partner as it prepares to test its devices on humans once regulators allow for it, according to six people familiar with the matter. Barrow has helped standardize brain implant surgeries in which the patient can remain asleep, a key step in making it more acceptable to a broad set of the population, Ponce said. This is in line with Musk's vision for Neuralink's brain chip. The billionaire CEO of Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) and majority owner of Twitter has said Neuralink's brain implants will become as ubiquitous as Lasik eye surgery. Neuralink's implant is a brain computer interface (BCI) device, which uses electrodes that penetrate the brain or sit on its surface to provide direct communication to computers.

☆ Corporate Sustainability Becomes a Team Sport
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Rochelle Toplensky | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +7 min

Chief sustainability officers have historically been technical experts focused on helping companies decode their carbon footprint. Today’s CSOs are business-transformation specialists who run point for companies in their sustainability efforts, supported by a team of experts. “You have to start thinking in 2022 about the demands that are going to be a trending topic in 2025.”Judith Wiese, chief people and sustainability officer at Siemens. His team includes experts in technology, industrial processes, financial markets, sustainability frameworks and reporting standards. Agustin Delgado Martin, chief innovation and sustainability officer at Iberdrola.

☆ How Silicon Valley Bank's collapse ripped through global tech
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Martin Coulter | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

March 14 (Reuters) - Not long after California startups started pulling money out of troubled Silicon Valley Bank, entrepreneurs in other parts of the world woke up to the news. While the global effects of Silicon Valley Bank's collapse are just emerging, one thing is clear: tech startups, no matter how far apart, are intertwined. FOUNDERS WARYQuincy Lee, founder of Seattle-based EV charging startup Electra Era, tried to move millions of dollars from Silicon Valley Bank on Thursday afternoon as warning signs multiplied. European stocks fell on banking industry concerns, though, and even startups that did not bank with SVB were scrambling. CHINESE STARTUPS MOVING MONEYSVB's Shanghai-based joint venture, SPD Silicon Valley Bank (SSVB), said it had a sound corporate structure and an independent balance sheet.

Oct. 7, 2021 - APHIS director Robert Gibbens declines the request, citing “optics” and the risks of COVID-19 exposure. Oct. 25, 2021 – Three APHIS inspectors find 13 violations at Envigo, seven of which are “direct" or "critical." Nov. 16-19, 2021 - APHIS inspects Envigo and finds 26 violations, 14 of which are "direct" or "critical." Feb. 16, 2022 - Miller informs her staff that Goldentyer has removed her from working on any more Envigo inspections. March 8, 2022 - APHIS employees inspect Envigo and find five violations, two of which are “direct.”May 3, 2022 - APHIS inspects Envigo and only cite the company for failing to fix the dangerous flooring.

The Justice Department’s decision to subpoena government witnesses who would normally testify voluntarily to help build the government’s criminal case was highly unusual, according to a half-dozen legal and animal welfare experts. The inspectors wanted APHIS to take a tougher stance against the company for the mistreatment of the beagles. Yet, this did not happen with any of the agency's inspections of Envigo, public records show. TENSIONS RISETensions between Gibbens and Miller escalated shortly after Envigo appealed some of the findings from the October inspection, emails show. Gibbens told Envigo APHIS would strike the citation because the company ultimately provided the requested information.

☆ Factbox: Neuralink, other brain-chip makers face long road to FDA approval
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Marisa Taylor | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

March 2 (Reuters) - Neuralink, founded in 2016, has yet to receive FDA approval to test its brain chip in humans. It received U.S. approval for human testing in July 2021, five years after applying to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). NEUROPACENeuroPace (NPCE.O), founded in 1997, didn’t secure FDA approval for its brain implant to treat epilepsy until 2013. BLACKROCK NEUROTECHBlackrock Neurotech, established in 2008, has tested its brain implant in humans for almost two decades. The company had hoped to secure approval to commercialize the implant from the FDA by last year but is still working on it, according to the company.

☆ U.S. regulators rejected Elon Musk’s bid to test brain chips in humans, citing safety risks
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Rachael Levy | Marisa Taylor | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +19 min

Companies that do secure human-testing approval typically conduct at least two rounds of trials before applying for FDA approval to commercially market a device. "Everybody in the industry was saying: 'Oh my God, they're going to run straight into a brick wall,'" Ludwig said of Musk's bid for FDA approval. For example, NeuroPace, which makes the brain implant to treat epilepsy, received final FDA approval in 2013 – 16 years after the company's launch. Beyond grants, it provides access to government experts who advise on how to gain FDA approval and commercialize a device. Musk's emails to Neuralink staffers often come from his SpaceX address, said two people who reviewed them.

☆ Factbox: Elon Musk's missed deadlines for FDA approval of Neuralink brain-chip trials
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Rachael Levy | Thomson Reuters | Award-Winning Journalist Covering Corporate Governance. Her Reporting Has Prompted Federal Investigations | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

March 2 (Reuters) - Several times since 2019, billionaire Elon Musk has predicted his brain-chip company, Neuralink, would soon secure FDA approval for human trials. But the company's application was rejected in early 2022, Neuralink staffers told Reuters, and the company is still working through the agency's concerns over the safety of the experimental implant. Here is a history of Musk's predictions of FDA clinical-trial approval:July 2019: Musk says Neuralink is aiming to receive regulatory approval for human trials of brain implants by the end of 2020. February 2021: Musk tweets: “Neuralink is working super hard to ensure implant safety & is in close communication with the FDA. Reporting by Rachael LevyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

BOSTON, March 1 (Reuters) - Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins has hired a former Justice Department inspector general to defend her in a widening ethics investigation into her appearance at a political fundraiser and her travel. The controversy has threatened to undermine Attorney General Merrick Garland’s vow to protect the Justice Department from partisan influence and efforts to extend progressive criminal justice policies championed by Rollins to the federal level. It is unclear what the inspector general's probe will find or when it will be completed. James Borghesani, a spokesman for Hayden, said they have received no inquiries from the inspector general's office. Investigators are also looking at Rollins' use of a personal cellphone, rather than her government-issued one, for Justice Department business, said two other people familiar with the matter.

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