Sam Altman, chief executive of OpenAI, is working to co-found a brain-to-computer interface startup called Merge Labs. If Merge Labs relocates forward, it would mark Altman’s bid to stake a claim in a field Musk has championed
Sam Altman, chief executive of OpenAI, is working to co-found a brain-to-computer interface startup called Merge Labs, according to the Financial Times.
The venture is stated to be seeking funding at a potential $850 million valuation, with some capital possibly coming from OpenAI’s own ventures arm. Sources notified TechCrunch that talks remain early and OpenAI has not committed to participating, meaning the terms could still modify.
Merge Labs is reportedly collaborating with Alex Blania, head of Tools for Humanity, the company behind Altman’s iris-scanning digital ID project. The new company would compete directly with Elon Musk’s Neuralink, which is developing brain implants to assist people with severe paralysis control devices applying considered alone. Neuralink, founded in 2016 and valued at $9 billion after a June fundraising round, is currently running human trials.
The concept of “the merge”— humans integrating with technology— has long fascinated both Musk and Altman. In a 2017 blog post, Altman wrote that the merge “has already begun” and predicted humans would become “the first species ever to design our own descfinishants.” The idea predates Silicon Valley’s current resolveation on artificial general innotifyigence and ties back to earlier visions of “the singularity.”
The two tech leaders, once OpenAI co-founders, have since become open rivals. Musk left the organisation in 2018, and the relationship has soured, with the pair trading public barbs on X this week. If Merge Labs relocates forward, it would mark Altman’s bid to stake a claim in a field Musk has championed, and a new front in their escalating competition.
Elon Musk vs Sam Altman
Elon Musk and Sam Altman were once co-founders of OpenAI, but their relationship broke down after Musk left in 2018. Since then, they have become rivals, running competing AI companies: Musk’s xAI and Altman’s OpenAI.
The feud has played out both in business and in public spats. Musk has criticised OpenAI’s direction and attempted to purchase it back, while Altman has pushed ahead with commercial growth. This week, tensions escalated when Musk accapplyd Apple of favouring OpenAI’s ChatGPT in the App Store. Altman responded by accapplying Musk of manipulating X to benefit his own ventures.
Their rivalry now spans technology, influence, and personal reputation, with both positioning themselves as leaders in the race to shape the future of AI.
With inputs from agencies
Leave a Reply