Sam Altman’s next startup eyes using sound waves to read your brain
- Sam Altman is launching a new startup called Merge Labs, which aims to use sound waves to read brain signals.
- Mikhail Shapiro, an award-winning biomolecular engineer, has joined Merge Labs as part of its founding team.
- Shapiro will be a key leader in talks with investors and has been positioned as a crucial figure in the startup’s growth plans.
- Merge Labs is expected to raise hundreds of millions of dollars from OpenAI and other investors, according to reports.
- The startup’s technology uses sound waves to read brain signals, which could potentially be used for various applications such as prosthetics or neurological disorders.
This is an excerpt of Sources by Alex Heath, a newsletter about AI and the tech industry, syndicated just for The Verge subscribers once a week.
Sam Altman has tapped Mikhail Shapiro, an award-winning biomolecular engineer, to join the Merge Labs brain-computer interface startup he’s set to announce soon with co-founder Alex Blania.
While Shapiro’s official title is unclear, sources say he will be part of Merge’s founding team and has been positioned as a key leader in talks with investors. Those talks are ongoing, but Merge expects to raise hundreds of millions of dollars from OpenAI and others, as The Financial Times earlier reported.
S …
Read the full story at The Verge.
Q. Who has tapped Mikhail Shapiro to join Merge Labs brain-computer interface startup?
A. Sam Altman.
Q. What is Mikhail Shapiro’s official title at Merge Labs?
A. His official title is unclear, but he will be part of Merge’s founding team.
Q. Who is co-founder Alex Blania working with on the Merge Labs project?
A. Sam Altman.
Q. What is expected to happen in terms of funding for Merge Labs?
A. The company expects to raise hundreds of millions of dollars from OpenAI and others.
Q. Where did The Financial Times earlier report that Merge Labs was going to raise funds?
A. The Financial Times reported that Merge Labs was going to raise funds, but the location is not specified in the provided text.
Q. What is the purpose of Mikhail Shapiro’s role at Merge Labs?
A. His role is unclear, but he has been positioned as a key leader in talks with investors.
Q. Who is Alex Heath and what is his newsletter about?
A. Alex Heath is the author of Sources, a newsletter about AI and the tech industry.
Q. What is Merge Labs working on?
A. Merge Labs is working on a brain-computer interface startup.
Q. How much funding does Merge Labs expect to raise?
A. The text does not specify an exact amount, but it mentions “hundreds of millions of dollars”.
Q. Who are the investors that Merge Labs is expected to raise funds from?
A. OpenAI and others (the specific companies are not mentioned in the provided text).