Six years ago at a StrictlyVC event in San Francisco, I asked Sam Altman how OpenAI, with its complex corporate structure, planned to turn a profit. His response? "I’ll ask AI someday." As the audience chuckled, he added, "You can laugh, but I genuinely believe this." He wasn’t joking.
Fast forward to today, sitting across from Max Hodak, co-founder and CEO of Science Corp., I was reminded of that moment with Altman. Pale-skinned and dressed in jeans and a black zip-up hoodie, Hodak looked more like someone headed to a rock concert than the face of a company valued at hundreds of millions. Yet, with his sly humor, he held the room’s attention effortlessly.
Hodak began programming at six and, as an undergrad at Duke University, managed to secure a spot in the lab of Miguel Nicolelis, a pioneering neuroscientist who later criticized commercial brain-computer interface (BCI) projects. In 2016, Hodak co-founded Neuralink with Elon Musk, serving as president and overseeing daily operations until 2021.
When asked what he learned from Musk, Hodak described a unique dynamic: "We faced countless challenges. I’d often present two polar-opposite solutions, asking, ‘A or B?’ He’d glance and say, ‘Definitely B,’ and the problem would vanish."
Years later, Hodak took those lessons and co-founded Science Corp. with three former Neuralink colleagues. Like Altman, he speaks with eerie calm about seemingly impossible goals—making me believe human cognitive limits might be shattered sooner than most expect, with Hodak at the forefront.
While I was mired in AI data-center hype and talent wars, another revolution was quietly gaining momentum.
According to the World Economic Forum, nearly 700 companies globally are linked to BCI technology, including tech giants. Beyond Neuralink, Microsoft Research has advanced a dedicated BCI project for seven years; Apple partnered with Synchron (backed by Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos) to develop protocols for BCI-controlled iPhones and iPads; and Altman is reportedly funding a Neuralink rival.
In August, China unveiled its "Brain-Computer Interface Industry Innovation Development Action Plan," aiming for core tech breakthroughs by 2027 and global leadership by 2030.
Hodak acknowledges that many BCI advances aren’t novel in neuroscience. "The fair critique is that these companies haven’t broken new ground in neuroscience," he says. "Decoding cursor or robotic arm commands? That’s been worked on for 30 years." The real innovation lies in engineering: "Neuralink’s breakthrough was miniaturizing devices to be fully implantable with no infection risk—that’s the leap."
Science Corp. is tackling revenue early, unlike many BCI startups. It sells tools to researchers, transforming "$300,000 cart-sized systems into $2,000 handheld devices." Its first commercial product, Prima, is a surgical solution for late-stage macular degeneration. A rice-sized chip implanted in the retina, paired with camera glasses and a battery, restores "form vision"—not just light perception. In trials with 38 patients, 80% regained reading ability.
Prima, acquired from France’s Pixium Vision, is under review by European regulators, with a U.S. FDA timeline still unclear. At $200,000 per procedure, Hodak estimates profitability at just 50 patients monthly.
Next up: optogenetic gene therapy—rewiring neurons to respond to light instead of electrodes. The eye, Hodak notes, is ideal due to its immune-privileged status. Competitors target the wrong cell layers or use inferior proteins, he claims.
But the most audacious goal? Growing new brain tissue. Science Corp. has tested a "waffle-grid" device in mice, where lab-grown neurons integrate with existing circuits. Five of nine mice learned to move left or right when the device activated. "It’s perfectly biocompatible," Hodak says. "Neurons communicate as evolution intended—just some are lab-made." A safety switch? An "FDA-approved unconventional vitamin" kills engineered neurons if needed.
Hodak’s ultimate vision? "BCI is a longevity play," he declares. "The endpoint is creating conscious machines." This means cracking the "binding problem"—how billions of neurons unite into subjective experience—and potentially merging minds. "We could redefine brain boundaries to include four hemispheres, a device, or even a group," he muses, echoing Apple TV’s *Pluribus*, where humans merge into a hive mind.
By 2035, Hodak predicts, biohybrid neural interfaces will be available for critical needs. "The first patient will choose: die from pancreatic cancer or ‘plug into the Matrix.’ Then acceleration begins." Within a decade, terminal patients might upload consciousness via BCI.
Yet, economic disparities loom. While macular degeneration treatments may be insured, advanced BCI could exacerbate inequality. Hodak warns of healthcare’s "fixed-pool" economics: "Spending can’t scale 10x. The system will break."
As our talk ended, I asked about societal impact. Hodak shrugged: "I worry more about Twitter." But the stakes are clear: we’re nearing an era where cognitive enhancement could redefine class—and humanity itself.
Leaving, I recalled *Pluribus*’s hive mind—offering perfect knowledge but erasing individuality. And Altman’s quip about asking AI, once laughable, now prophetic. In Silicon Valley, the absurd often becomes reality. So this time, I’m listening.