Neuralink Raises $650M as Brain Implant Trials Expand
The Facts
- Brain implant company Neuralink announced Monday it had closed a $650 million funding round. Investors included ARK Invest, Founders Fund, Sequoia Capital, Thrive Capital, and others, bringing the company's valuation to about $9 billion.
- The brain-computer interface company, owned by Elon Musk, has successfully implanted its technology in five patients with severe paralysis, allowing them to control digital and physical devices using only their thoughts through the Telepathy system.
- Neuralink is currently conducting clinical trials at medical institutions across three countries, including Barrow Neurological Institute, University of Miami, University Health Network in Toronto, and the Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi.
The Spin
Techno-optimist narrative
Even before this round of funding, Neuralink was making history by helping paralyzed patients use computers with their brains. If funding and research continue, and Musk's predictions are true, thousands of patients could have these implants within just a few years. And even if it takes longer, Neuralink technology is still well on its way to changing the lives of countless neurologically disabled individuals.
Techno-skeptic narrative
While no one wishes to stop patients from accessing life-changing medical treatment, there are dangerous aspects to this technology that must be discussed. The goal of brain chips like Neuralink is to read minds, which can be great in some ways but also terrifying when billionaire oligarchs are the ones with access to everyone's thoughts. Strict safeguards must be implemented before technocrats gain too much control.
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