{"id":406502,"date":"2025-09-28T22:10:24","date_gmt":"2025-09-28T16:40:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dripp.zone\/news\/why-elon-musk-sam-altman-and-other-billionaires-are-betting-on-brain-computer-interfaces-crypto-news\/"},"modified":"2025-09-28T22:18:47","modified_gmt":"2025-09-28T16:48:47","slug":"why-elon-musk-sam-altman-and-other-billionaires-are-betting-on-brain-computer-interfaces-crypto-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dripp.zone\/news\/why-elon-musk-sam-altman-and-other-billionaires-are-betting-on-brain-computer-interfaces-crypto-news\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Elon Musk, Sam Altman and Other Billionaires Are Betting On Brain-Computer Interfaces – Crypto News"},"content":{"rendered":"
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In brief<\/h4>\n
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  • Elon Musk\u2019s Neuralink and the Sam Altman-backed Merge Labs are driving a new wave of billionaire-backed brain-computer interface ventures.<\/li>\n
  • Current BCI progress remains medical, with only five Neuralink patients implanted as of September 2025.<\/li>\n
  • Experts warn BCIs are far from \u201cthought reading,\u201d and billionaire ambitions risk overshadowing real therapeutic potential.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n

    Elon Musk already has rockets, cars, AI, and humanoid robots. Musk\u2019s rival Sam Altman runs OpenAI, the company behind the leading AI chatbot, ChatGPT. Now, both men and other billionaires want a piece of the human brain.<\/p>\n

    Their latest bets on brain-computer interfaces, or BCIs, reveal less about today\u2019s medical breakthroughs and more about a looming contest over who owns the neural on-ramp to digital life. As founders and experts in the space told Decrypt<\/i>, billionaire attention \u201celevates the whole industry\u201d even as it distorts priorities.<\/p>\n

    For billionaires, brain-computer interfaces are not just medical devices\u2014they represent the next potential platform shift, a way to control the gateway between human thought and digital systems.<\/p>\n

    Owning that interface could mean owning the future of computing. That is why some of the most powerful people in the world are pouring money into BCIs: They see them as a hedge against artificial intelligence, a new control point in the tech stack, and perhaps the ultimate frontier for profit and influence.<\/p>\n

    Musk and Altman make moves<\/h2>\n

    Musk founded Neuralink in 2016 with the goal<\/a> of merging with machines, which he claimed may be the only way to keep pace with artificial intelligence. The company recently raised a $650 million<\/a> Series E, placing it among the best-funded players in the field. Neuralink\u2019s first patient, Noland Arbaugh, has shown he can control a cursor and browse the internet by thought alone.<\/p>\n

    The results have been mixed<\/a>, but so far, five patients have now been implanted, with trials expanding to speech impairment and vision<\/a> restoration. Musk keeps framing BCIs as not just medical devices, but a safeguard<\/a> for humanity in an AI-dominated future.<\/p>\n

    Meanwhile, Altman has surfaced<\/a> as a co-founder of Merge Labs, a new venture aiming to raise around $250 million at a valuation that could reach $850 million. Early reports suggest Merge may pursue non-invasive interfaces, a different path than Neuralink\u2019s brain implants.<\/p>\n

    For Altman, who already commands one of the most powerful AI companies, the move signals that the next battle is not only about who builds the smartest models but who controls the pipeline that connects them to humans.<\/p>\n

    Other major bets<\/h2>\n

    The circle extends beyond Musk and Altman. Prominent biohacker Bryan Johnson<\/a>, who made his fortune in payments, poured $100 million<\/a> into Kernel in 2016. Kernel develops neurotech platforms for measuring brain activity, positioning itself as an infrastructure play rather than a flashy implant company.<\/p>\n

    Neuralink\u2019s investors also include Peter Thiel\u2019s Founders Fund, evidence that Silicon Valley\u2019s venture elite is preparing for the possibility that brain-computer links become the next foundational layer of computing.<\/p>\n

    \u201cFor me, their involvement is a good sign,\u201d Tetiana Aleksandrova, CEO and co-founder of neurotechnology startup Subsense, told Decrypt.<\/i> \u201cWhen billionaires step into BCI, they bring visibility and capital that elevate the whole industry. Suddenly, more funds are planning to allocate resources to neurotechnology, more companies are founded, and more engineers discover that this is an exciting space worth dedicating their careers to.\u201d<\/p>\n