Archive · 16 Jan 2026
OpenAI Invests in Merge Labs for Brain-Computer Interfaces
OpenAI has invested in a new company called Merge Labs, which is working on brain-computer interfaces.
These are devices that help people control computers or other machines with their thoughts.
The company is led by Dr. Elena Vasquez and includes Sam Altman as an investor and advisor.
Merge Labs is different from other companies like Neuralink because it uses a hybrid electrode array with flexible polymer threads and less invasive surgical methods.
The goal is to help people who have lost abilities because of brain injuries or diseases.
In the future, they hope to make the technology available to more people.
OpenAI believes this technology is important for new ways to communicate and learn.
Merge Labs has completed preclinical testing and is preparing for first-in-human trials in late 2026 or early 2027.
OpenAI has invested in Merge Labs, a brain-computer interface (BCI) startup co-founded by former Neuralink engineers and backed by Sam Altman.
Merge Labs is developing minimally invasive, high-bandwidth brain implants aimed at restoring motor function for patients with paralysis and enabling thought-controlled computing.
The company's approach combines the precision of Neuralink’s threads with less invasive surgical methods, potentially reducing risks and recovery time.
OpenAI participated in Merge Labs’ $25 million seed round alongside other prominent investors, including Founders Fund, Khosla Ventures, and several high-profile angels.
Merge Labs has completed preclinical testing in animal models and is preparing for first-in-human trials in late 2026 or early 2027, pending regulatory approval from the FDA.
- Who
- OpenAI, Merge Labs, Sam Altman, Dr. Elena Vasquez
- What
- Investment in a brain-computer interface startup
- When
- January 15, 2024
- Where
- San Francisco, California
- Why
- To advance brain-computer interface technology and its applications, and to challenge Elon Musk’s Neuralink
Merge Labs
Neuralink
Technology Approach
Merge Labs
Uses a hybrid electrode array with flexible polymer threads and less invasive insertion methods.
Neuralink
Uses fully implanted electrodes with a more invasive approach.
Surgical Method
Merge Labs
Focuses on minimally invasive surgical methods to reduce risks and recovery time.
Neuralink
Employs more invasive surgical methods for electrode implantation.
Biocompatibility
Merge Labs
Strong focus on biocompatibility and long-term stability of implants.
Neuralink
Less emphasis on biocompatibility and long-term stability in current implementations.
- Company
- Merge Labs
- Focus
- Brain-computer interfaces (BCI)
- Investor
- OpenAI
- Founders
- Mikhail Shapiro, Tyson Aflalo, Sumner Norman, Alex Blania, Sandro Herbig, Sam Altman
- Technology
- Hybrid electrode array with flexible polymer threads, ultrasound transmission
- Goal
- Restore abilities in patients with neurological injuries or disease, and eventually expand to broader human-augmentation use cases
- Initial Operation
- Research lab
- Funding
- $25 million seed round
- CEO
- Dr. Elena Vasquez
- Clinical Trials
- Preclinical testing completed, preparing for first-in-human trials in late 2026 or early 2027
