Sam Altman backs brain chip implant startup competing with Musk’s Neuralink

Sam Altman is in talks to invest and co-found a new brain chip interface startup called Merge Labs to compete with Elon Musk’s Neuralink. A new Financial Times report revealed that the funds will mostly be brought in from OpenAI’s ventures team. 

Altman is expected to be listed as a co-founder along with Alex Bania, the co-founder and CEO of World, the eye scanning ID verification startup that Altman is involved with.

The report stated that the Merge Labs will be valued at $850 million post fundraising.

Meanwhile, last month, Neuralink raised $650 million in the latest funding round and is valued at around $9 billion.

After a long struggle, the startup finally began human trials last year and has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or FDA.

The startup has claimed that five people with severe paralysis are using their device to control do tasks controlled by their thoughts.

Musk and Altman have been brawling with Musk recently filing a lawsuit contesting OpenAI’s conversion into a profitable entity. 

Yesterday, the OpenAI CEO accused Musk of manipulating X to benefit himself and “harm competition,” which Musk refuted calling him a liar.