Chapter 65: Neuralink: 2017–2020

This chapter covers Neuralink's development from 2017 to 2020, tracing Musk's ambitions to create a brain-computer interface that would allow direct neural communication. The narrative culminates in a landmark demonstration where a monkey successfully plays Pong using only its brainwaves, validating the technology's core premise.

Musk founded Neuralink in 2017 with the goal of developing high-bandwidth brain-computer interfaces to help paralyzed individuals and eventually enable human cognitive enhancement. The company recruited neuroscientists and engineers to design implantable electrodes capable of recording and transmitting neural signals. Early work focused on creating a minimally invasive surgical procedure and developing software to decode brain activity into actionable commands. By 2020, Neuralink achieved a significant milestone: a macaque monkey named Pager was implanted with the neural interface and successfully played the video game Pong by controlling a cursor with its thoughts alone, demonstrating that the technology could translate brainwaves into real-world digital control. This breakthrough provided proof-of-concept for Musk's vision of human applications, though significant regulatory and technical hurdles remained before human trials could begin.