The rivalry between Sam Altman and Elon Musk is about to enter a new dimension: the human brain. The OpenAI CEO is reportedly co-founding a new brain-to-computer interface startup called Merge Labs, a direct challenger to Musk’s well-known company, Neuralink.
According to the Financial Times, Altman is currently raising money for Merge Labs, with his own OpenAI ventures team possibly providing the capital. The new startup is expected to be valued at around $850 million. Sources say the talks are still in the early stages, so that the details could change.
This move puts Altman’s new venture in direct competition with Neuralink, which Musk founded back in 2016. Neuralink has made significant progress and is already testing its brain implant chips on people with severe paralysis, aiming to let them control devices with just their thoughts. It’s a much more established player, with a massive $9 billion valuation.
Both tech billionaires are fascinated by the idea of “the singularity,” a future where humans merge with technology. Altman wrote about “The Merge” years ago, and now it seems he’s ready to build it. This new venture adds another chapter to the souring relationship between Altman and Musk, who once worked together at OpenAI but are now frequent sparring partners. Altman isn’t going to let Musk have the future of brain-computer interfaces all to himself.
