23 October 2026
Episode 368 - CTO Peter Simpson on the Future of Dexcom CGMs
Diabetics Doing Things Podcast
About
Peter Simpson has been at Dexcom for over 24 years, back when it was a
small startup, and he says he's more excited about the technology now than
at any point in that run. In this bonus tech episode, Dexcom's CTO walks us
through the upcoming G8 sensor: about 50% smaller, plus a new in-use
calibration system that checks itself every five minutes to account for the
fact that every body is a little different. The goal isn't just a better
average accuracy number. It's fewer of those nights where your sensor and
your fingerstick seem to be describing two different people.
We also dig into the landmark CONNECT study, just published in The New
England Journal of Medicine, which found CGM use lowered A1C by 0.9% more
than routine care for people with type 2 diabetes not on insulin. Peter
shares a surprising finding about people already on GLP-1s, and what
Dexcom's new State of Type 2 report says is really standing between people
and better care: awareness, education, and access.
Near the end, I ask Peter about the recent G7 app terms and conditions
update that briefly kept some users from seeing their glucose data. He
shares how future updates will roll out and answers questions about
metadata and AI. There's more I wish I'd had time to ask, and if I get
another conversation with Dexcom, you'll hear it here first.
Chapters
01:22 Meet Dexcom CTO Peter Simpson
02:01 Why innovation is speeding up after 24 years
03:21 G8 preview: 50% smaller, more accurate
04:15 How factory calibration actually works
05:05 Real-time calibration that adapts to your body
06:03 MARD explained: fewer bad sensor outliers
07:15 Type 2 barriers: health and tech literacy
07:48 Inside Dexcom's State of Type 2 report
09:08 CONNECT study: CGM results without insulin
10:25 GLP-1s plus CGM: the biggest impact
11:38 Addressing the G7 terms and conditions
12:12 "We made an error": what changes now
13:15 Metadata, pump partners, and AI explained*
15:07 What's next for type 1 and type 2
Resources:
The CONNECT Study published in The New England Journal of Medicine
Dexcom
small startup, and he says he's more excited about the technology now than
at any point in that run. In this bonus tech episode, Dexcom's CTO walks us
through the upcoming G8 sensor: about 50% smaller, plus a new in-use
calibration system that checks itself every five minutes to account for the
fact that every body is a little different. The goal isn't just a better
average accuracy number. It's fewer of those nights where your sensor and
your fingerstick seem to be describing two different people.
We also dig into the landmark CONNECT study, just published in The New
England Journal of Medicine, which found CGM use lowered A1C by 0.9% more
than routine care for people with type 2 diabetes not on insulin. Peter
shares a surprising finding about people already on GLP-1s, and what
Dexcom's new State of Type 2 report says is really standing between people
and better care: awareness, education, and access.
Near the end, I ask Peter about the recent G7 app terms and conditions
update that briefly kept some users from seeing their glucose data. He
shares how future updates will roll out and answers questions about
metadata and AI. There's more I wish I'd had time to ask, and if I get
another conversation with Dexcom, you'll hear it here first.
Chapters
01:22 Meet Dexcom CTO Peter Simpson
02:01 Why innovation is speeding up after 24 years
03:21 G8 preview: 50% smaller, more accurate
04:15 How factory calibration actually works
05:05 Real-time calibration that adapts to your body
06:03 MARD explained: fewer bad sensor outliers
07:15 Type 2 barriers: health and tech literacy
07:48 Inside Dexcom's State of Type 2 report
09:08 CONNECT study: CGM results without insulin
10:25 GLP-1s plus CGM: the biggest impact
11:38 Addressing the G7 terms and conditions
12:12 "We made an error": what changes now
13:15 Metadata, pump partners, and AI explained*
15:07 What's next for type 1 and type 2
Resources:
The CONNECT Study published in The New England Journal of Medicine
Dexcom