It looks like OpenAI’s Sam Altman is about to make things very interesting in the “mind meets machine” arena. According to reports, Altman is co-founding a new brain-to-computer interface startup called Merge Labs — and it might just be going head-to-head with Musk’s Neuralink.
Here’s the scoop: Merge Labs is still in its early days, but whispers say it could hit an $850 million valuation before it even goes public. The Financial Times claims funding could come from OpenAI’s ventures arm, though insiders hint nothing’s locked in yet — so yes, we’re still in “soft launch” mode.
But there’s more. Altman is reportedly teaming up with Alex Blania, the CEO of Tools for Humanity (aka the people behind that eye-scanning “are you really human?” project, World ID). Together, they want Merge Labs to push the limits of brain-tech — potentially rivaling Neuralink’s very ambitious goals.
If you’ve missed the Neuralink hype train, here’s a quick recap: Musk started it in 2016, revealed it in 2017, and now it’s deep in trials with people who have severe paralysis — letting them control devices just by thinking. Neuralink recently bagged $600 million in Series E funding at a $9 billion valuation.
Why does this matter? Because brain-to-computer interfaces could change everything about how humans and tech interact — some say it’s a step toward “the singularity,” the moment where humans and AI merge. Fun fact: Altman has been talking about “The Merge” since 2017, predicting that humans would eventually design their own descendants.
Of course, Altman and Musk aren’t exactly besties anymore. Musk left OpenAI in 2018, and their recent sniping on X makes it clear — this is personal as much as it is technological.
So, will Merge Labs actually launch and challenge Neuralink? We’ll have to wait. But one thing’s certain: Altman’s not about to let Musk have the future of human evolution all to himself.
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