Sam Altman's Brain-Computer Interface Startup Merge Tries to Dethrone Elon Musk's Neuralink
In a move that signals his relentless pursuit of innovation, Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, has added another startup to his growing portfolio. Merge Labs, a brain-computer interface (BCI) startup, recently emerged from stealth with $252 million in seed funding and is now poised to challenge Elon Musk's Neuralink, which is valued at over $9 billion.
Merge's vision is to develop BCIs that can seamlessly interact with the human brain, combining biological intelligence with artificial intelligence. The company aims to achieve this by developing new approaches to BCIs that are safe, accessible, and non-invasive. Unlike its rival Neuralink, which uses invasive surgery to implant threads into the brain, Merge plans to use molecules to connect with neurons.
With a diverse team of experts in computational neuroscience, immunology, machine learning, and biotechnology, Merge is well-positioned to tackle this ambitious goal. The company's seed funding is coming from prominent investors including OpenAI, Bain Capital, and video game developer Gabe Newell.
Merge's strategy also involves collaboration with other prominent companies, including OpenAI, which will provide it with access to cutting-edge A.I. tools and expertise. This partnership aims to help Merge develop scientific foundation models and other frontier technologies that can support its BCI development.
The launch of Merge marks a new entrant into the increasingly crowded BCI space. Rivals include Synchron, which has raised over $1 billion in funding and uses devices implanted in blood vessels to bring mobility to patients. Meanwhile, Neuralink is already making waves with its invasive surgery-based technology.
With Altman's experience and expertise at the helm, Merge Labs is well-positioned to challenge the status quo and push the boundaries of what is possible with BCI technology. As Altman himself has said in the past, "I believe the merge has already started, and we are a few years in." With its innovative approach and diverse team, Merge Labs may just be the one to bring about a new era of human-machine integration.
In a move that signals his relentless pursuit of innovation, Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, has added another startup to his growing portfolio. Merge Labs, a brain-computer interface (BCI) startup, recently emerged from stealth with $252 million in seed funding and is now poised to challenge Elon Musk's Neuralink, which is valued at over $9 billion.
Merge's vision is to develop BCIs that can seamlessly interact with the human brain, combining biological intelligence with artificial intelligence. The company aims to achieve this by developing new approaches to BCIs that are safe, accessible, and non-invasive. Unlike its rival Neuralink, which uses invasive surgery to implant threads into the brain, Merge plans to use molecules to connect with neurons.
With a diverse team of experts in computational neuroscience, immunology, machine learning, and biotechnology, Merge is well-positioned to tackle this ambitious goal. The company's seed funding is coming from prominent investors including OpenAI, Bain Capital, and video game developer Gabe Newell.
Merge's strategy also involves collaboration with other prominent companies, including OpenAI, which will provide it with access to cutting-edge A.I. tools and expertise. This partnership aims to help Merge develop scientific foundation models and other frontier technologies that can support its BCI development.
The launch of Merge marks a new entrant into the increasingly crowded BCI space. Rivals include Synchron, which has raised over $1 billion in funding and uses devices implanted in blood vessels to bring mobility to patients. Meanwhile, Neuralink is already making waves with its invasive surgery-based technology.
With Altman's experience and expertise at the helm, Merge Labs is well-positioned to challenge the status quo and push the boundaries of what is possible with BCI technology. As Altman himself has said in the past, "I believe the merge has already started, and we are a few years in." With its innovative approach and diverse team, Merge Labs may just be the one to bring about a new era of human-machine integration.
Another AI startup trying to "merge" with our brains 
... think this is gonna end well? 
Sam Altman's already got his hands in OpenAI, now he's adding Merge Labs to the mix and taking on Elon Musk's Neuralink 
. This BCI thing just sounds like a recipe for some serious tech-induced headaches 
... "safe", "accessible" and "non-invasive"? Give me a break 
... we're already dealing with enough cyber threats, do we really need to mess with our brains? 
! Sam Altman's new venture Merge Labs is on fire 
with $252 million in seed funding. They're working on non-invasive BCIs that use molecules to connect with neurons 
, way cooler than Neuralink's invasive surgery approach 
. With OpenAI and Gabe Newell backing them, they've got the AI tools and expertise needed to make it happen 
. This is gonna be huge! The future of human-machine integration is looking bright 
. Merge Labs might just be the key to unlocking a new era of possibilities 
.
and collaborating with openai is genius move 
it's like he's setting up the perfect trap to take down neuralink 
I'm not sure how comfortable I am with this whole brain-computer interface thing... like, I get it, tech is advancing fast and all that 
. And what about the safety concerns? We're talking about messing around with our brains here, folks! 
I mean, I get it, innovation is great and all, but can't we just have one stable platform that doesn't crash every 5 seconds? 
At least Neuralink has some actual experience with its invasive surgery tech, whereas Merge just seems like a bunch of buzzwords and promises 
. Give me a break, dude! 
.
. We just need to figure out what we want to win for, and then get to work on making it happen 
altman's been quiet about his plans for Merge, which is pretty rare for him lol, maybe he's just trying to keep a low profile before they make some major moves 
if they can make BCIs safe & accessible, that'd be a game changer 