Will Neuralink implant its brain-computer interface device in more than 1,000 human patients before the end of 2028?

Neuralink: 1,000 Patients by 2028?

Neuralink moved from its first patient in 2024 to a handful in 2025. Elon Musk has stated goals of scaling to hundreds, then thousands. This prediction asks if the active patient count will exceed 1,000 by 2028.

Scaling Surgery

The vote is split. The demand is there (millions with paralysis), and the robotic surgery allows for scalability. However, the FDA approval process for such a rapid expansion of an invasive Class III medical device is rigorous. Moving from a feasibility study (single digits) to a pivotal trial (hundreds) to commercial rollout (thousands) in just three years is an incredibly aggressive timeline, even for Musk.