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360 points danielmorozoff | 1 comments | | HN request time: 0.327s | source
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ckemere ◴[] No.45035120[source]
I think that the negativity here is unfortunate. The reality is that it’s very hard to see a normal VC level return on the $100M+ Elon and friends have invested here. And don’t let anyone fool you - this is the fundamental reason the BCI field has moved slowly.

If Neuralink proceeds to a scenario where quadriplegic patients can get reliable (ie lifelong) control of their computers for less than $100k that will be a huge win for them for a cost that no one else was willing to pay.

To be clear, at that order of magnitude they might make back their investment, but it won’t be 10x or 100x, and the potential healthy-brain-connected-to-the-AI play is much less rooted in reality than Teslas all becoming taxis.

Worst case scenario is that Elon loses interest and pulls the plug and Mr Arbaugh loses continued tech support a la a google product. I think that’s the one question I wish the author had asked…

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maxlin ◴[] No.45035665[source]
Companies like this going under is a horror story for the patients I've seen playing out a few times. But I honestly can't see something as public and well-funded having the same fate. "Elon Musk losing interest" isn't really something I see likely as he doesn't function in the money-oriented ways pretty much almost all other billionaire-types do. He loves the tech and the ideals, and Neuralink is past the point of ever being potentially a dud
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LunaSea ◴[] No.45036882[source]
> isn't really something I see likely as he doesn't function in the money-oriented ways pretty much almost all other billionaire-types do

Is that why he sued to obtain his $29B package from Tesla shareholders?

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maxlin ◴[] No.45046195[source]
What a crazy disinforming way to spin that story.

I was one of those shareholders who voted FOR that pay package with power of six figures worth of stock. He didn't "sue the shareholders"

Shareholders are strongly on Elon's side here, as they have always have been. The only reason there is a lawsuit is because some bent judge is trying to take the shareholder's power away from them and not grant the pay package. Absolute corruption.

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1. peterfirefly ◴[] No.45049218[source]
Ostensibly for the benefit of a man who had 9 shares. And then that man's lawyers demanded billions from Tesla for their trouble.

Same judge who forced him to overpay for Twitter.