Neuralink

Neuralink Corp. was founded in 2016 by Elon Musk and Jared Birchall, together with an initial team of eight scientists and engineers. The company first disclosed its existence in March 2017, with the stated mission of creating a high-bandwidth brain-computer interface (BCI) to treat neurological disorders and eventually enable symbiosis with artificial intelligence. Its headquarters are in the Pioneer Building in San Francisco, with a major operational facility in Fremont, California, and plans for a three-story site in Del Valle, Texas.

The company's primary product is the N1 Implant, a chip placed into the brain by a specialized surgical robot that inserts flexible threads 4 to 6 micrometers wide. Each thread carries electrodes capable of reading neural signals. The first clinical application, the PRIME Study, targets people with paralysis, allowing them to control digital devices using thought alone. In September 2024, Neuralink announced Blindsight, a device intended to restore vision in blind individuals whose visual cortices are intact, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted it breakthrough device designation.

Neuralink has faced substantial controversy. An investigation by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine alleged that over 1,500 animals were euthanized in testing since 2018, with complications from surgical implants. This led to a U.S. Department of Agriculture investigation and a federal probe by the Department of Transportation over unsafe packaging of hazardous materials. The company has also seen high executive turnover and reports of a demanding work culture. Despite these issues, in January 2024 Neuralink performed its first human implant in Noland Arbaugh, a quadriplegic man who used the device to play chess and video games. In August and September 2025, Canada's University Health Network carried out the first Neuralink implants outside the United States, on two patients with cervical spinal cord injuries.[edit]