Attendees at Fortune’s Brainstorm Tech conference last week witnessed a demonstration of both technological innovation and human resilience when Noland Arbaugh, the first human recipient of Neuralink’s brain-computer interface (BCI) chip, played chess using only his thoughts. Arbaugh also shared candid insights into his pioneering journey, including his memorable first encounter with Neuralink’s cofounder and the world’s richest man, Elon Musk.
Arbaugh’s journey began with a diving accident at a summer camp in 2016, which left the former Texas A&M student paralyzed from the shoulders down and largely dependent on his family. For years, Arbaugh lived what he describes as a severely limited existence.
