Billionaire YouTuber and media personality MrBeast said he would get Neuralink for its easy unlimited cash potential on a recent podcast. The controversial content creator suggested that the implant would help with idea generation, leading to big profits, without explaining how that would work.
Others, however, think that MrBeast doesn’t know as much about making money as his wealth might imply.
Get a brain chip, something something, profit
In a clip from a Nelk Boys podcast featured by TikToker Drey (@thedreydossier) in early December, MrBeast made some wild claims about what Neuralink could do for anybody who dares get one of those in their brain.
“After the first couple thousand go through, I would get one,” he said.
“Once the Neuralink actually works and you can have symbiosis with technology and just download things to your brain, you’ll be able to make so much money that it doesn’t matter how much the procedure will cost; anyone will be able to afford it.”
First of all, Neuralink has made many yet unfulfilled promises, as is common with Elon Musk companies, but downloading things into your brain doesn’t appear to be one of them.
The company makes implantable brain–computer interfaces that connect the brain’s electrical activity to an external device. This technology is still highly experimental and has been tested on a few human subjects. One quadriplegic patient reported success with using the “brain chip” to communicate online without typing, turning his thoughts into words on the screen.
What MrBeast talked about still seems to be in the realm of science fiction. The phrase “symbiosis with technology” is complete nonsense, as symbiosis is defined as a type of biological interaction between living beings. We don’t even have time to get into what the brain chips did to those monkeys.
Regardless, a lot of people also took issue with the idea that Neuralink could make anyone all the money forever.
“Ideas don’t make you money”
Drey, as a self-described investigator on the intersection of tech, power, and politics, felt that MrBeast misled his fans with his claims. He went on to say that anybody could “borrow $100,000” for the implant and then get rich.
“Once you have infinite bandwidth to unlimited knowledge, you can make unlimited money,” he said.
That’s where Drey stopped the clip, and not just because “infinite bandwidth to unlimited knowledge” sounds like a tech bro fever dream. Instead, she took issue with the claim that your brain thoughts can somehow translate into cash, no question.
@thedreydossier Forget Kim K, MrBeast is clearly Neuralink’s first influencer trial run #mrbeast #biotechnology ♬ original sound – Drey
“Ideas don’t make you money,” she said. “Since when in late-stage capitalism do ideas make you money?”
“They only make you money when you own them.”
She explained that ideas only make money due to copyright laws and scarcity. If Neuralink is constantly interfacing with your brain, there’s no reason to think that Musk won’t be the one owning those thoughts.
“With Neuralink in your head, your thoughts have no exclusivity window anymore.”
Commenters widely agreed.
“Does he… does he think that people aren’t wealthy because they’re stupid?” asked @theonsbrand. “What kind of third grade understanding of life is he operating on?”
“Mr Beast has to be capitalism final boss,” wrote @dudeisduding, “literally his first reasoning is MONEY MONEY MONEY MONEY.”
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