OpenAI is participating in a $250 million seed funding round for Merge Labs, a brain-computer interface (BCI) startup co-founded by OpenAI's CEO, Sam Altman. The funding round values the new company at approximately $850 million. A significant portion of the capital is expected to come from OpenAI's own venture fund.
Merge Labs aims to develop high-bandwidth, AI-powered interfaces to connect human brains with computers, positioning itself as a direct competitor to Elon Musk's Neuralink. Sam Altman will not have a day-to-day operational role in the new venture and will not be investing his personal funds. The startup is also co-founded by Alex Blania, who leads Worldcoin, another project backed by Altman.