Musk’s Neuralink Faces Altman’s Merge Labs in Brain-Tech Race
August 13, 2025
by Jaymie Johhns
This demo is a stepping stone to Musk’s ultimate goal: the Tesla Robotaxi. Since late June 2025, Tesla has been testing its Robotaxi platform in Austin, using an advanced FSD version that doesn’t require a driver in the seat. Musk has confirmed that customer-owned Teslas could join the Robotaxi fleet by 2026, potentially generating $50,000 annually in passive income for owners. This vision of autonomous ride-sharing could disrupt traditional taxi services, especially in cities like New York, where Tesla is already seeking vehicle operators.
The demo also highlights Tesla’s edge in safety and efficiency. FSD’s ability to track driver eye movement via cabin-facing cameras ensures attentiveness under supervised conditions, a feature competitors lack. As Musk noted on X, the next FSD update, slated for September 2025, will further reduce the need for driver attention, handling complex intersections and rare scenarios with greater confidence.
Neuralink, founded by Musk in 2016, is on a mission to merge human cognition with technology, enabling people with paralysis to control devices with their thoughts and potentially unlocking superhuman capabilities. By 2025, Neuralink has made remarkable strides, implanting BCIs in seven patients with severe motor impairments, earning FDA “breakthrough” status for its speech restoration device, and raising $650 million in its latest funding round. Musk’s vision is bold yet principled: to accelerate human scientific discovery and empower individuals through seamless brain-machine integration. Neuralink’s progress, including its ability to let patients operate digital systems via thought alone, underscores Musk’s commitment to transformative innovation over profit-driven motives.
Enter Sam Altman, whose track record at OpenAI has drawn scrutiny for prioritizing commercial gain over altruistic goals. According to the Financial Times, Altman is co-founding Merge Labs to develop brain implants that compete directly with Neuralink. Backed primarily by OpenAI Ventures, Merge Labs aims to raise $250 million at an $850 million valuation, a hefty sum for a company yet to prove its technological chops. While details about Merge Labs’ approach remain sparse, its emergence as a Neuralink rival has sparked skepticism, particularly given Altman’s history of steering OpenAI away from its original nonprofit mission toward corporate alliances, such as its $10 billion partnership with Microsoft.
Altman’s involvement in Merge Labs feels like a strategic power play rather than a genuine leap forward. His departure from OpenAI’s founding ideals—once shared with Musk—casts doubt on his motives. Is Merge Labs a serious contender in BCI, or is it Altman’s attempt to encroach on Musk’s territory, leveraging OpenAI’s resources to gain a foothold in another cutting-edge field? Critics on X have pointed out that Altman’s ventures often prioritize hype over substance, and Merge Labs’ lack of concrete technical details so far does little to dispel that perception.
BCI technology is a high-stakes frontier, with the potential to revolutionize medicine, communication, and human cognition. Neuralink’s work focuses on practical applications, such as helping paralysis patients regain autonomy, while also exploring ambitious goals like enhancing memory or interfacing with AI. Musk’s transparent approach—regular updates on clinical trials and FDA milestones—sets a high bar for accountability and progress.
Merge Labs, by contrast, remains an enigma. Without disclosed details on its technology or clinical plans, it’s hard to take Altman’s challenge seriously. Other Neuralink competitors, like Paradromics and Synchron, have already demonstrated tangible progress—Paradromics completed a human implant in May 2025, and Synchron is advancing clinical trials backed by Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates. Yet Merge Labs’ reliance on OpenAI’s funding and Altman’s name suggests it may be more about capitalizing on the BCI hype than delivering groundbreaking results. Musk’s Neuralink, with its proven implants and patient successes, remains leagues ahead.
Musk’s track record speaks for itself. From Tesla’s disruption of the auto industry to SpaceX’s reusable rockets, he’s shown a knack for turning audacious ideas into reality. Neuralink reflects that same relentless drive, with a focus on solving real human challenges. Musk’s departure from OpenAI in 2018 was driven by his rejection of its shift toward commercialization, a move that Altman championed. This history fuels skepticism about Merge Labs, which appears to follow Altman’s pattern of chasing high-valuation ventures with questionable long-term impact.
Altman’s defenders might argue that competition drives innovation, and Merge Labs could push the BCI field forward. But without evidence of proprietary technology or a clear roadmap, it’s hard to see Merge Labs as more than a speculative bet. Posts on X highlight this divide, with some users praising Musk’s tangible results while questioning Altman’s ability to match Neuralink’s rigor. One user noted, “Musk builds rockets and brain chips; Altman builds press releases.” While harsh, the sentiment reflects a broader distrust of Altman’s motives in a field where trust and transparency are paramount.
The rivalry between Neuralink and Merge Labs underscores a larger battle for the future of technology. Musk’s vision prioritizes humanity’s advancement, aiming to integrate AI and human cognition responsibly. Altman’s track record, marked by OpenAI’s pivot to profit-driven partnerships, suggests a different priority: market dominance. If Merge Labs follows this pattern, it risks diluting the BCI field’s potential with overhyped promises rather than meaningful breakthroughs.
Apple’s recent favoritism toward OpenAI in App Store rankings, as Musk has challenged, further complicates the landscape. Altman’s ability to secure powerful allies like Apple and Microsoft raises concerns about whether Merge Labs is less about innovation and more about consolidating influence. Neuralink, by contrast, stands as an independent force, unencumbered by corporate entanglements, focused solely on pushing the boundaries of what’s possible.
As Merge Labs enters the BCI arena, it faces an uphill battle against Neuralink’s established progress. Musk’s company has already implanted devices in humans, secured significant funding, and earned regulatory recognition. Merge Labs, with its unproven technology and Altman’s questionable track record, must do more than raise money to compete. The BCI field demands precision, safety, and results—areas where Neuralink excels under Musk’s leadership.
