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Sam Altman Invests in Elon Musk’s Neuralink Rival and Brings Billion-Dollar Dispute to the Brain-Computer Interface Implant Sector
The dispute between Sam Altman and Elon Musk is gaining a new battleground: the human brain. According to the Financial Times (FT), OpenAI, led by Altman and the creator of ChatGPT, plans to invest in a brain implant startup called Merge Labs.
The new company is seen as a direct rival to Musk’s Neuralink, which currently dominates the brain-computer interface (BCI) sector.
The FT cites “three people with direct knowledge of the plans” and describes the project as being in the “early stages.” The strategy could represent a calculated entry into a market that Musk has led for years.
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A Billion-Dollar Bet
Merge Labs aims to “connect humans and machines through artificial intelligence.” Valued at US$ 850 million, the company intends to raise US$ 250 million, with most of the funds coming from OpenAI’s venture capital team.
Sources indicate that Altman may co-found the startup alongside Alex Blania, CEO of Worldcoin, but without investing personal resources.
According to TechCrunch, OpenAI has not formalized the commitment, and the terms of the agreement may change.
Despite this, Altman has shown a long-standing interest in the topic. In 2017, he published a piece called “The Merge,” in which he predicted that human-machine integration could begin as early as 2025.
In a recent post, he spoke again about “high-bandwidth brain-computer interfaces” as the next technological step.
The Domination of Neuralink
Founded in 2016, Neuralink began human testing and has already presented concrete results. One of the most notable cases is that of Bradford G. Smith, a patient with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) who lost the ability to speak and move.
With the implant, he began controlling a computer cursor merely with his thoughts and was able to communicate again.
Smith is the first non-verbal patient and the third overall to receive the device. He also used the chip to edit a video and narrate it using a synthetic voice created with artificial intelligence and old recordings.
Musk intends to scale up. Plans indicate that Neuralink aims to implant its chips in 20,000 people per year by 2031. If the goal is achieved, annual revenue could reach US$ 1 billion.
Increasing Competition in the Sector
In addition to Merge Labs, other startups are trying to advance in the BCI segment. Among them are Paradromics, Precision Neuroscience, and Synchron.
Paradromics, for example, has completed its first human implant and is now preparing for clinical trials aimed at people with severe motor disabilities.
This scenario reinforces that the dispute is not limited to two companies. However, the weight of the rivalry between Altman and Musk may accelerate the development and visibility of the sector.
Personal and Corporate Rivalry
The competition goes beyond technology. Altman and Musk were once partners in the founding of OpenAI. The relationship broke down when Musk left the company in 2018.
Since then, he has created his own artificial intelligence company, xAI, in 2023.
In 2024, Musk sued OpenAI to contest its shift from a nonprofit organization to a for-profit model.
The clash has intensified on social media, especially on the X platform, owned by Musk.
The dispute also involves other giants. Recently, Musk threatened to sue Apple, accusing it of favoring OpenAI in its App Store.
He claims this alleged preference makes it “impossible” for competitors to reach the top of the rankings.
A Transforming Market
OpenAI’s entry into the BCI sector, even in its early stages, signals that the field may become one of the next major focuses of the technological race.
With billions of dollars at stake and a history of public confrontations, Altman and Musk appear ready to take their rivalry to the limit — now, within the human minds.
With information from Interesting Engineering.
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