Full-Time

Facilities Operations

Merge Labs

Merge Labs

11-50 employees

Develops high-bandwidth brain–computer interfaces

Compensation Overview

$95k - $120k/yr

San Francisco, CA, USA

In Person

Category
Facilities Operations (1)
Required Skills
Inventory Management
Plumbing

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Responsibilities
  • Keep the physical site ready for science and daily work by performing walkthroughs, coordinating janitorial services, supporting space moves, managing facility equipment, handling physical security touchpoints, and completing first-pass repairs.
  • Serve as the first line of defense for lab equipment issues by troubleshooting and self-repairing equipment where appropriate, coordinating service when needed, and helping keep critical equipment available and maintained.
  • Support lab utility systems by monitoring, maintaining, and coordinating service for vacuum, compressed air, reverse osmosis deionized water, autoclaves, dishwashers, and related lab infrastructure.
  • Support shipping, receiving, unpacking, logging, internal movement, and storage of lab and office materials.
  • Handle or coordinate repairs involving patching, painting, sinks, doors, bathrooms, carpet, elevators, fixtures, and other building issues.
  • Coordinate facilities vendors and trades, including janitorial, plumbing, electrical, carpentry, mechanical service, elevator support, kitchen equipment, plants, signage, and other site vendors.
  • Support workplace operations through desk planning, office moves, food and kitchen operations, signage, Zoom room coordination with information technology, physical security, and daily workplace details.
  • Help execute small facilities projects and buildout work, including electrical modifications, minor construction, furniture changes, office reconfigurations, and future lab or office buildouts.
  • Support internal events and site activities through setup, vendor coordination, space readiness, cleanup, and physical logistics.
  • Maintain vendor lists, maintenance records, equipment notes, service histories, and recurring checklists to improve the reliability and scalability of Facilities and Lab Operations.
Desired Qualifications
  • Hands-on facilities or lab operations experience in a wet lab, research and development, biotechnology, life sciences, manufacturing, or similarly equipment-heavy environment.
  • Experience troubleshooting, repairing, adjusting, moving, mounting, assembling, patching, and diagnosing physical problems, with judgment about when vendor service is needed.
  • Experience operating in a laboratory environment with attention to equipment uptime, clean and orderly spaces, working utilities, protected cold storage, and organized materials.
  • Ability to coordinate plumbers, electricians, janitorial teams, equipment service providers, mechanical vendors, and other trades while retaining ownership of outcomes.
  • Experience with preventive maintenance, failure-mode tracking, checklists, vendor rosters, service records, asset notes, and maintenance schedules.
  • Resourcefulness, practical judgment, calm triage, and the ability to work effectively when conditions are imperfect or instructions are incomplete.
  • A proactive service mindset focused on identifying and improving issues before users report them.
  • Technical literacy with spreadsheets, asset databases, ticketing systems, building management system interfaces, vendor portals, inventory tools, and documentation systems.
  • Flexibility to work across lab equipment, utilities, vendor coordination, shipping and receiving, office moves, kitchen equipment, signage, small repairs, event setup, and future buildout support.

Merge Labs develops brain–computer interfaces to connect human brains with computers. Its product focus is high-bandwidth neural implants that read neural signals and transmit data to AI systems and software, enabling bidirectional communication between brain and machine. The implants are designed to work with advances in AI and neural sensing hardware, using a system of implants, interfaces, and software to interpret brain activity and control devices or software. Compared with competitors, Merge Labs aligns with Sam Altman’s vision of human–machine convergence, leveraging OpenAI ventures connections and positioning itself as a Neuralink rival with an emphasis on higher data throughput and scalable AI-assisted interpretation. The company’s goal is to create seamless, high-bandwidth brain–computer communication that enhances human capabilities and enables new ways of interacting with technology.

Company Size

11-50

Company Stage

Seed

Total Funding

$252M

Headquarters

Palo Alto, California

Founded

2025

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Simplify Jobs

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • January 2026 seed raised $252 million at an $850 million valuation.
  • OpenAI’s largest check signals strategic support and recruiting leverage across AI talent.
  • March 2026 China approved its first brain implant, expanding validation for BCI demand.

What critics are saying

  • March 2026 scrutiny says Merge disclosed no clinical timeline or peer-reviewed human data.
  • Ultrasound-plus-molecules still needs safe gene delivery; failures block any human product.
  • Neuralink’s 2026 mass production and automated surgery outpace Merge’s still-theoretical platform.

What makes Merge Labs unique

  • OpenAI-backed ultrasound BCI targets non-invasive brain access, unlike Neuralink’s implanted electrodes.
  • Sam Altman and Caltech’s Mikhail Shapiro give Merge elite AI-neurotech credibility.
  • OpenAI collaboration on foundation models helps Merge interpret noisy neural signals faster.

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Growth & Insights and Company News

Headcount

6 month growth

0%

1 year growth

-2%

2 year growth

-2%
Florida Today
Feb 14th, 2026
OpenAI invests in Merge Labs at $850M valuation

OpenAI has invested in Merge Labs at an $850 million valuation, according to reports. The investment focuses on scalable AI backends, including AICC technology. Details about the funding round, including the investment amount and other participants, were not disclosed. The partnership appears aimed at advancing AI infrastructure and backend capabilities. Merge Labs is working on developing scalable systems to support AI applications. The company's technology is designed to handle the computational demands of modern AI models. The investment represents OpenAI's continued expansion beyond its core business into supporting technologies and infrastructure for artificial intelligence development.

TechCrunch
Jan 16th, 2026
OpenAI invests in Sam Altman’s brain computer interface startup Merge Labs | TechCrunch

Merge Labs is a “research lab” dedicated to “bridging biological and artificial intelligence to maximize human ability.” OpenAI wrote the largest check in Merge Labs' $250 million seed round at an $850 million valuation.

Bloomberg Law
Jan 15th, 2026
Sam Altman's Merge raises $252M to connect human brains to computers

Merge Labs, co-founded by AI billionaire Sam Altman, has raised $252 million to develop devices connecting human brains to computers. The company aims to seamlessly link people and artificial intelligence to "maximise human ability, agency, and experience". The funding reflects growing Silicon Valley interest in brain-computer interfaces as entrepreneurs anticipate a future where AI becomes so advanced that humans may need to augment their brains to keep pace. Similar to how smartphones provide digital access, experimental brain technology is being designed to streamline human interaction with AI systems. The investment underscores the increasing focus on neurotechnology as a key frontier in the race to integrate artificial intelligence into human capabilities.

Wired
Dec 19th, 2025
Sam Altman’s New Brain Venture, Merge Labs, Will Spin Out of a Nonprofit

Merge Labs, a brain-computer interface startup that seeks to read brain activity using ultrasound, is being spun out of Forest Neurotech, a Los Angeles nonprofit.

Startup Wired
Aug 16th, 2025
Sam Altman Backs Merge Labs' $850M Valuation

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, has invested in Merge Labs, a startup in the brain–computer interface (BCI) sector, now valued at $850 million. Merge Labs focuses on non-invasive BCIs, contrasting with Neuralink's invasive approach. Altman's backing signals confidence in BCI as a transformative technology. The company aims to surpass a $1 billion valuation in the next funding round. Merge Labs emphasizes privacy and aims to make BCI accessible across various sectors.