Mind-Boggling Money Man Jumps From Crypto to Brain Gizmos

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Ehrsam’s neuroscientific racket, rather whimsically christened “Nudge,” insists it aims to invent top-notch noggin contraptions to upgrade our daily existence. 🧠💫

A Grand Leap from Bitcoins to Brainwaves

Picture this: Fred Ehrsam and Brian Armstrong, two bright chaps with a modest two-bedroom lair, concocted Coinbase some thirteen years ago. They’ve since tripped and fallen headlong into billionaire status, but dear Fred, evidently unsated by mere digital coins, has now tiptoed into the realm of cranial gadgetry. In 2024, he lobbed forth his buzzy new outfit, Nudge, promptly unveiling the inaugural contrivance dubbed the “Nudge Zero”—an ultrasound doohickey that tests the patience of anyone trying to say its name three times fast.

A health warning: “non-invasive ultrasound neuromodulation” might sound like a jolly dinner conversation stopper, but it simply blasts your brain cells with sonic waves—no permanent lumps or bumps to fear. Unless you fancy telling your grandchildren you parted your hair with a supersonic contraption, of course. 😏

(The “Nudge Zero” contraption from Fred Ehrsam’s neuroscience escapade / Nudge on X)

The impetus behind ultrasound tinkering typically comes in two categories, which overlap like Aunt Agatha’s eyebrows when she’s vexed—medical and therapeutic. One handles tough nuts like epilepsy and pain, and the other nurses gloominess, the uninvited houseguest of many a mind.

Fred’s cunning plan is to tackle urgent ailments first, presumably to show off the gizmo’s prowess, and then trot out a kinder, gentler version for simpler pursuits like brightening moods, sharpening wits, and giving one’s day a little je ne sais quoi. There’s murmuring about a headphone-like contrivance, which—if it works—would presumably make small talk at parties a breeze. 🤔🎉

(Imagined prototypes of Nudge’s future brain-hugging wearables / Nudge on X)

Before scampering into neurology, the exuberant Mr. Ehrsam and his Sequoia chum Matt Huang founded Paradigm in 2018—a venture capital domain catering to all things crypto. They raised a colossal stash, and yet Fred, at a sprightly 36 and worth a hefty $2.1 billion (or so whispers Forbes), has largely handed the crypto baton to others while fiddling with ultrasound brain-boppers.

“Our top priority,” proclaims Ehrsam, “is refining the overall human ride. And we’ve concluded that trying to converse directly with those cozy gray cells is the best way to do it.” Perfectly sensible, if you ask me. After all, what good is a jolly big piggy bank if you can’t ping your own cerebellum now and again? 🤑🧠

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2025-04-09 01:58