Podcast Summary

Podcast: Solutions with Henry Blodget
Episode: The Future of Mind-Controlled Computers, According to Neuralink’s Rival
Date: February 16, 2026
Host: Henry Blodget
Guest: Michael Mager, CEO & Co-Founder of Precision Neuroscience

Episode Overview

This episode explores the transformative promise and complex realities of brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) with Michael Mager, founding CEO of Precision Neuroscience—a key player and a direct competitor to Elon Musk’s Neuralink. The conversation dives deep into the technology’s current state, its near-term applications for people with disabilities, long-term medical and ethical horizons, and how the U.S. can maintain its global position as China races to catch up.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introduction to Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs)

• What BCIs Are: Devices that create a direct communication pathway between a human brain and external computers, enabling intentional, thought-driven control over technology.
  • “Effectively, a brain computer interface creates a direct communication pathway between the brain and external computer and the first application...is to enable thought based control of computers and other digital devices.”
    (Michael Mager, 02:39)
• Precision Neuroscience’s Mission: Founded in 2021 by Michael Mager and neurosurgeon Ben Rapoport (Neuralink co-founder), the company aims for high-functioning, minimally-invasive BCIs, focusing on enhancing the lives of those with disabilities and, eventually, overall neurological health.

2. How Precision’s Device Works & What Makes It Different

• Non-penetrative Approach:
  • Past and current BCIs, including Neuralink, use devices that penetrate the brain, killing neurons to access signals.
  • Precision’s device is a thin film that sits on the brain’s surface (under the skull but not entering neural tissue), minimizing harm.
  • “You could enable high performance brain computer interface functionality without doing damage.”
    (Michael Mager, 06:56)
• Minimally Invasive Surgery:
  • Patented surgical technique involves a thin slit in the skull—no large craniotomies—making the procedure less invasive.
  • The film is inserted “like a letter through a letterbox.”
  • “We have patented an approach...the array then slides through the slit like a letter through a letterbox or like a floppy disk...”
    (Michael Mager, 08:39)
• Technical Details:
  • 1,024 platinum electrodes on an ultra-thin film, manufactured using semiconductor techniques (photolithography).
  • Device is fully implanted, rechargeable, and wirelessly transmits data.

3. Why Not a Helmet? The Limits & Promise of Non-Invasive Tech

• Signal Quality Barrier:
  • Non-invasive, consumer-grade EEG (like earpods, headbands) suffers from poor signal because the skull blocks most electrical activity; real performance requires direct access.
  • “The skull is a major physical barrier. It just attenuates the signals from the brain…”
    (Michael Mager, 11:54)
  • AI may improve outcomes but “garbage in, garbage out”—better input signals yield far better results when enhanced by AI.

4. Regulatory & Privacy Landscape

• Clear Division Between Consumer and Medical Tech:
  • Medical devices like Precision’s are highly regulated (FDA, HIPAA); consumer gadgets are not and sometimes sell “snake oil.”
  • “We exist within the confines of the FDA regulatory process which has very stringent requirements...[while] consumer neurotechnology...exists in a very weak or non-existent regulatory framework.”
    (Michael Mager, 14:10)
• Data Security: Medical BCIs are held to rigorous standards, unlike consumer neurotech, which raises privacy and ethical concerns.

5. What the Device Enables—Today’s Applications

• Temporary Implants and Real-World Demonstrations:
  • Device approved for up to 30 days; partnerships with top hospitals and Medtronic to commercialize temporary BCIs.
  • Patients (currently able-bodied, undergoing unrelated brain surgery) volunteer to test the device.
  • Demonstrated capabilities: controlling a computer cursor with thoughts—initially using a joystick for calibration, then just via imagination.
  • “For a few days he had this superhuman ability. And then at the bedside the system was removed and he went back to being a normal person.”
    (Michael Mager, 21:06)

Notable Moment:

• The First Fully Imaginative Cursor Control:
  • For the first time, an able-bodied person controlled a computer cursor with pure imagination, without any physical movement.

6. Training, Paralyzed Users, and Neuroplasticity

• Individual Variation and Calibration:
  • Systems calibrate quickly (10-15 minutes for most users).
  • Even for people years post-paralysis, brain signals for intended movement remain detectable.

7. The Next Five Years—Product Roadmap

• Initial Focus:

  • Severely paralyzed people—restoring the ability to control computers, rejoin the workforce, and regain independence.
  • “Our goal is to enable people to rejoin the workforce and become financially independent if they choose.”
    (Michael Mager, 26:25)

• Future Possibilities:

  • Reimagined computer interfaces: Direct, more intuitive control; potentially transformative for creativity, productivity, and interaction with AI.
  • “I think very quickly this is going to evolve such that...not only are we developing a new medical technology...but actually I think a new way for human beings to control computers more generally.”
    (Michael Mager, 27:20)

8. The "Brain in the Cloud"—Science Fiction vs. Reality

• Downloading Skills & Memories?
  • The long-term potential of “uploading” memories or “downloading” skills (à la The Matrix) is still largely conjectural.
  • Precision’s mission: Not transhumanist, but to “heal and empower.”
  • Digitizing brain activity could lead to diagnostic and therapeutic breakthroughs for conditions like Alzheimer’s and depression, not just “superpowers.”
  • “The brain has really been sort of impervious to...digitization...it's just very difficult to access. I think what we're doing is really creating an opportunity to apply cutting edge compute to the brain for the first time.”
    (Michael Mager, 30:36)

9. Timeline to Permanent Implantable BCI Products

• Permanent Implants:
  • First permanent patient implant expected 2027; FDA approval (PMA) and commercialization expected by 2030.
  • Process includes bench and animal testing, early human trials, and close FDA collaboration.
  • “We expect to have our pma...to market and sell a device that’s implanted permanently in 2030. We expect to implant our first patient permanently next year.”
    (Michael Mager, 35:44)

10. U.S. vs. China: National Strategy, Regulation, and Investment

• China’s State Support:
  • BCIs are a Chinese national strategic priority, with government support and coordination accelerating industry development.
• The Real Bottleneck in the U.S.:
  • Delays don’t come from FDA but from reimbursement pathways (CMS/Medicare/Medicaid), leading to a 3–4 year lag between FDA approval and insurance coverage.
  • “The biggest issue...is actually not...the FDA regulatory process...it’s reimbursement....There is a three to four year gap between FDA approval and CMS reimbursement, which is crazy.”
    (Michael Mager, 39:15)
• What’s Needed:
  • Clarity and alignment in policy to attract investment and sustain U.S. leadership.

11. Ethical Frontiers & "Neurorights"

• Data Ownership & Rights:
  • Motor cortex activity used for device control is not deeply personal, but as systems progress—e.g., decoding imagined speech—ethical stakes rise.
  • Stakeholder involvement is critical: industry, academics, patient advocates, ethicists, and regulators are already collaborating to shape policy.
  • “We’re trying to develop medical technology for people who right now have no options….If we can enable a decrease in human suffering, I think the ethics of that are honestly pretty straightforward.”
    (Michael Mager, 46:16)

12. Regulation: Moving Fast with the Right Guardrails

• Balance Between Innovation & Oversight:
  • Mager acknowledges both the immense good and potential for misuse.
  • U.S. system’s sophistication (especially FDA expertise) is an asset—regulators understand the science and are motivated to see it benefit real people.
  • “We’re developing a tool, and like any tool, it can be used for good or ill. I think for what we’re doing...the good is massively outweighed by the potential ill.”
    (Michael Mager, 48:48)
  • Call for regulatory clarity, not favoritism, to maintain American leadership.

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• “You could enable high performance brain computer interface functionality without doing damage.” (Michael Mager, 06:56)
• “The skull is a major physical barrier. It just attenuates the signals from the brain…people have been trying...to enable basic brain computer interface technology non-invasively for a very long time. It’s really hard.” (Michael Mager, 11:54)
• “Our system is fully implanted in the body. It’s invisible, and it’s able to transmit the data...entirely wirelessly and recharges wirelessly.” (Michael Mager, 08:09)
• “This gives you a sense of where the technology may be headed. For a few days he had this superhuman ability...then it was removed and he went back to being a normal person.” (Michael Mager, 21:06)
• “Can we accelerate the rate at which human beings are able to learn…Can we download, you know, kung fu like they do in The Matrix? Maybe and maybe not...That whole concept, I think, is pretty conjectural.” (Michael Mager, 29:17)
• “What we’re doing is really creating an opportunity to apply cutting edge compute to the brain for the first time.” (Michael Mager, 30:36)
• “There is a three to four year gap between FDA approval and CMS reimbursement, which is crazy...No one would design a system from scratch in this way.” (Michael Mager, 39:15)
• “We’re developing a tool, and like any tool, it can be used for good or ill. I think for what we’re doing, which is a medical implant, the good is...massively outweighed by the potential ill.” (Michael Mager, 48:48)

Important Timestamps

• 02:39 - Precision Neuroscience company origins and mission
• 06:56 - Non-penetrative vs. penetrative BCIs
• 08:39 - Patented minimally invasive surgical technique explained
• 11:54 - The limits and challenges of non-invasive BCIs
• 14:10 - Regulatory and privacy differences—consumer neurotech vs. medical devices
• 21:06 - “Superhuman” demo: first healthy human to control a cursor with pure imagination
• 26:25 - Empowering paralyzed people to rejoin society and work
• 27:20 - The beginning of a new paradigm for human-computer interaction
• 29:17 - The sci-fi future: “downloading” knowledge—how realistic?
• 30:36 - Digitizing the brain and transformative potential for medicine
• 35:44 - Timeline to permanent, commercially available BCIs (2027–2030)
• 39:15 - Reimbursement as the real regulatory bottleneck in the U.S.
• 46:16 - Patient perspectives on neuro-rights and data privacy
• 48:48 - The ethical balance of BCI innovation vs. potential misuse

Conclusion

The conversation with Michael Mager reframes the debate around mind-controlled technology from sci-fi narratives to concrete steps that could drastically improve the lives of millions with disabilities—and potentially unlock a new era of human-computer interaction. Precision Neuroscience promises a less harmful, more scalable approach to BCIs, is proceeding rapidly with real-world demonstrations, and is clear-eyed about regulatory, ethical, and societal challenges. The episode highlights both the excitement and caution warranted as society sits at the edge of the “age of mind-computer merge”—with much more to come over the next decade.