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In February 2022, Max Hodak, Neuralink’s cofounder and former president, said he had personally invested in brain-computer interface company Synchron. At the time, Synchron had already begun human testing of its Stentrode implant, while the 2022 report described Neuralink as still planning human trials. That “beaten Elon Musk to human trials” comparison is historical; the sources cited here do not establish either company’s current trial status.
What Max Hodak’s Synchron investment was
Futurism reported on February 7, 2022, that Hodak had invested in Synchron after previously serving on its advisory board. In his own post, Hodak said he asked Synchron CEO Tom Oxley about investing after becoming an advisor. This was Hodak’s personal investment, not an announced Neuralink investment or a change in his role at Neuralink. Futurism’s February 2022 report and Hodak’s post describe the announcement.
Hodak wrote: “I’m excited to have the opportunity to ride along on their journey and, while realistically advisors are usually of limited usefulness, to help them succeed in whatever little way I can.” He was speaking as an advisor and investor, not as an independent evaluator of Synchron’s technology.
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The headline’s race framing refers to the state of the companies described in the February 2022 report: Synchron had begun human testing, while Neuralink had not yet started the human trials discussed in that story. It was a comparison of timing, not a measured ranking of the companies’ technology, clinical results, or overall progress. The cited material is from 2021 and 2022 and does not establish which company is ahead today.
#1 Best Overall
How Synchron described the Stentrode
Synchron described its Stentrode as an implantable brain-computer interface delivered through a blood vessel, using neurointerventional techniques. In contrast with an approach requiring access through the skull, the Stentrode was designed to be placed through the jugular vein without drilling into the skull or open brain surgery, according to Synchron’s December 2021 announcement.
Hodak described electrodes positioned in the walls of blood vessels rather than penetrating brain tissue. These are descriptions from Synchron and Hodak; they do not, by themselves, establish that one approach is safer, more effective, or preferable for patients.
What the “first direct-thought tweet” demonstrated
In its December 22, 2021 announcement, Synchron said Philip O’Keefe, a 62-year-old man with ALS, used the Stentrode to turn direct thought into text and post “Hello World” on Twitter. The company presented this as a demonstration of communication using its system. It involved one participant and is not evidence on its own of broad clinical benefit, general availability, or suitability for other patients.
O’Keefe said in the company announcement: “The system is astonishing, it’s like learning to ride a bike – it takes practice, but once you’re rolling, it becomes natural.” His comment reflects the experience of a participant quoted by Synchron; it is not an independent clinical assessment.
Rank #3
What the available comparison does—and does not—show
The dated reports support a limited comparison of access routes, the described use case, and trial timing in 2022. They do not justify declaring either company’s device safer, more effective, or more advanced overall.
| Comparison | Synchron Stentrode, as described in 2021–2022 sources | Neuralink, as characterized in the February 2022 report |
|---|---|---|
| Access route | Endovascular placement through the jugular vein, according to Synchron and Hodak. | The report contrasted Synchron’s approach with skull access; it did not provide enough detail here to compare Neuralink’s procedure fully. |
| Described use | Assistive communication and digital-device control, including the company-reported Twitter post by one participant with ALS. | Not stated in the cited material at a comparable level of detail. |
| Human-trial timing | Human testing had begun by the period covered in the February 2022 report. | The February 2022 report described human trials as planned, not yet begun. |
| Present-day status | Not established by the cited 2021–2022 sources. | Not established by the cited 2021–2022 sources. |
What readers should take from the headline
Hodak’s investment connected a prominent Neuralink cofounder to Synchron as a personal investor and former advisor. The “beaten Elon Musk to human trials” wording captures the contrast reported in 2022, not a current contest result. Synchron’s Stentrode was clinical-stage technology in the cited accounts, not a purchasable implant or consumer accessory.
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Rank #4
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