My Severance Theory: Mind Control and No One Dies

Okay, here's my leading Severance theory. I'd love your thoughts.

**WARNING: S1 and S2 spoilers ahead and I genuinely think I may have figured out some things**

Lumon is making a product, perhaps a microchip, that MDR is coding that would remove any negative emotions or mental health issues - in particular the 4 tempers - dread (anxiety or fear), woe (sadness), frolic (overindulgence), and malice (anger).

The files MDR works on are code names for different people's microchips. As we discovered on S2 E1, one of the files Mark is working on is Gemma/Ms.Casey which is code named "Cold Water". While each of the MDR employees can program any temper, they each specialize in one (Mark is woe, Irving is dread, Dylan is frolic, and Helly is malice).

The chips they are coding would essentially take a human and make them flat. They don't experience any negative emotions or mental health issues. The chips are still in development or perhaps only given to the rich through some underground channels. They may be testing them on people like Gemma/Ms.Casey.

In addition, these chips could essentially hold a person's consciousness and keep them from dying. That tracks with the "Lumon Recycles" theme. I don't think they are cloning people. I think they are cloning consciousness that exists in these chips. They're recycling people who never die. No one ever has to die because you can just "reboot" your chip and become a person again.

From a "corporate greed" perspective, this creates a perfect workforce. You never have to worry about people dying or having enough babies to support the workforce. You have people who are easily controlled and generally "happy".

This theory also uphold the "god-like" connection of Keir. He basically serves as an Anti-Christ or Satan figure. Unlike the Christian God, who promises eternal life, Kier promises eternal life and lack of suffering, but at the cost of your soul and working forever. Keir is basically creating and overseeing Hell.

I also believe that some of the main characters, like Irving, have actually already died and been rebooted. Irving is a great example. He has worked at the company the longest and doesn't speak like a modern day person does. It's almost like he is from another time. I think he has killed or died as an Outie, but they reboot him. He doesn't get the privilege of getting his mind coded to remove his dread because they need him to have it in order to program the chips.

Thoughts?