[andsoitis]

> taking away their ability to participate in society first, then selling it back to the richest of them is an ingenious business approach.

That's not what is happening here. These tools (Neuralink and others) enable people who are disabled to participate more in society.

[Llamamoe]

These tools need to be paid for. By people whose welfare is currently being taken away by the same man who owns NeuraLink.

[andsoitis]

> These tools need to be paid for. By people whose welfare is currently being taken away by the same man who owns NeuraLink.

I'm struggling to understand your point. You seem to be saying that Musk is trying sell a product to people but at the same time taking away their ability to pay for it. Logically, that means nobody would be buying the product, which leads me to conclude the thinking you express above is flawed.

[hcurtiss]

Please. What is Musk doing to "these people"? The Musk invective on HN is so tiring.

[sussmannbaka]

Yes, this is the selling back part. The taking away is currently happening in the White House and at the Broccoli aisle.

[Juliate]

For one, they enable, yes. So there's a market to create here.

But. It also doesn't take a lot of imagination to see what other beneficial uses they promise to bear, as a general device. Imagine having a computer plugged-in permanently in your brain. Both in reading (and reacting by providing a stimulus, whatever it is, however you may do so directly or indirectly), and perhaps even, some day, in writing.

When you see what you can achieve with an individual, customised touch-screen computer in the pocket, something that didn't even exist a quarter of a century ago. The potential. The horizon. How would you not invest in that vision if you had the money for it?

What a striking coincidence that the man behind this project has now access to the resources of a huge country, which administration happens to deport "illegal" immigrants here and there, without due judiciary process (that is, publicly documented), in territories outside of judiciary overview (like Guantanamo).

The same guy who felt brazen enough to make twice a nazi salute in front of televisions.

Far fetched scenario? Yes, obviously. Improbable? Also yes. Impossible? No.

[croes]

But it won’t help get them a job because DEI is bad.

[andsoitis]

> But it won’t help get them a job because DEI is bad.

That's an uncharitable take that focuses on the wrong issue, in my opinion.

Noland's life was pretty dire: "Since dislocating his C4-5 vertebrae in a 2016 swimming accident, Arbaugh had dropped out of Texas A&M and returned to live with his family in Yuma, Arizona. Due to the combination of Yuma’s scorching heat — from May to September the average high temperature is 99 degrees or more — and the intense spasms he experienced when sitting in his power chair, Arbaugh spent most of his time in bed, watching TV. With no sensation or function below his shoulders and having limited caregiving hours provided by the state, he relied heavily on his parents and brother and often felt like a burden." [1]

After Neuralink, the abilities that Noland gained is best represented by his own words: “Before, I would wake up and just [watch] my TV,” he says. “Now, I wake up and [work] on my computer. It’s very similar, but at the same time, my daily routine has changed from just watching stuff to being more active and interactive with the world.”

[1] https://newmobility.com/noland-arbaughs-life-as-the-first-ne...

[bufferoverflow]

Nobody prevents them from getting a job, as long as they pass the interview like everyone else.

[croes]

Yeah sure, because having a disability, the wrong skin color or wrong gender was never the reason for not getting hired.

[bufferoverflow]

DEI itself creates the situation where having the wrong gender or skin color was the reason to not get a job.

You cannot fight racism/sexism with racism/sexism.

[croes]

A loss of privilege isn’t racism/sexism.

What would your solution be?

[bufferoverflow]

Getting hired based on your skills is not a privilege. It's equal treatment. And that's the solution.

[computerthings]

So yes. Throwing out the vulnerable onto the streets, to promise a future where those who can afford it can be made to function as good as healthy people, to earn their human rights and dignity with cold hard cash, like everyone else. The rest, who cares... they don't have a voice even while they live, so nobody will ask about them when they no longer do.

[computerthings]

DEIA to be precise