Neuralink employee was scratched by monkeys infected with herpes and fired after she became pregnant, suit claims

Lindsay Short claimed that Neuralink created a hostile work environment in several ways:

1. Unrealistic deadlines: Short alleged that the company set unrealistic deadlines which put immense pressure on the employees2.

2. Blame and shaming: Short accused her superiors of shaming employees when they failed to meet these deadlines or didn't perform up to their expectations.

3. Inadequate protective gear: As an animal care specialist working with monkeys infected with the Herpes B virus, Short claimed that the company failed to provide her with adequate protective gear, resulting in her being scratched by the monkeys and exposed to the virus.

4. Retaliation: Short alleged that when she raised concerns about the sanitary conditions and the company's refusal to accommodate her request for flexible work hours, she faced retaliation in the form of a demotion under the guise of poor work performance.

5. Gender discrimination: Short claimed that the company did not honor its promise to accommodate her needs as an expecting mother, and she was ultimately fired after announcing her pregnancy, leading to her suing Neuralink for gender discrimination, among other claims.

Lindsay Short, a former employee at Elon Musk's brain chip company Neuralink, filed a lawsuit making several allegations against the company. These include:

1. Inadequate protection from virus-infected animals: Short claimed that Neuralink failed to provide adequate protective gear while she was exposed to monkeys infected with the Herpes B virus, which can cause severe brain damage and death in humans.

2. Hostile work environment: The lawsuit alleges that Neuralink created a hostile work environment by setting unrealistic deadlines and shaming employees.

3. Exposure to Herpes B virus: Short reported that she was scratched by a monkey carrying the Herpes B virus on two separate occasions, in September 2022 and March of the following year. She claims that her superiors threatened her with severe repercussions if such incidents happened again.

4. Broken promises for flexible work hours: Short alleges that her bosses promised to accommodate her request for flexible work hours to care for her child but later reneged on this agreement.

5. Retaliation and wrongful termination: Short claims that when she raised concerns about sanitary conditions and the company's refusal to honor their oral contract regarding her flexible schedule, she faced retaliation, including a demotion under the guise of poor work performance. She was ultimately fired after informing HR about her pregnancy, with her superiors citing "performance issues" as the reason for her termination.

6. Gender discrimination: The lawsuit alleges that the company's actions were motivated by Short's gender and pregnancy, and that her superiors had previously expressed a dislike for children and believed that having kids "got in the way of their career."

Lindsay Short is suing Neuralink for retaliation, wrongful termination, and gender discrimination, among other claims.