Tech entrepreneur Bryan Johnson thinks humanity might crack the immortality code in about 14 years. Yes, really. The catch? The science is still wildly experimental and potentially dangerous.
AI Makes Immortality A 'Reasonable Target' For First Time
Johnson, the Silicon Valley millionaire who sold Braintree and now runs Kernel and Blueprint, took to social media to share his bold prediction. The ancient dream of conquering death isn't just mythology anymore, he argues.
"The search for the fountain of youth is the oldest story ever told," Johnson wrote. "For the first time in the history of life on Earth, in just the past 24 months, the window has opened for a conscious being to realistically strive for this goal."
The 48-year-old entrepreneur bases his 2039 timeline on emerging therapies that could potentially reverse biological aging by decades. What's changed? Artificial intelligence is accelerating research and discovery at speeds previously impossible, he says.
Johnson called this moment "absolutely insane" and described immortality as a "reasonable target" for the first time in human history. That's quite the pivot from ancient alchemists searching for magic elixirs.
Current Longevity Treatments Carry Serious Risks
Before anyone gets too excited, Johnson issued some serious warnings. Today's anti-aging therapies aren't exactly ready for prime time.
We need to fix some "buggy" issues first, he explained, including treatments that "mistakenly cause cancer." That's a rather significant bug.
Johnson admitted his team doesn't yet know exactly how immortality will work. They're looking at slow-aging species like jellyfish and lobsters for clues. "We need to port the software to humans," Johnson said, using programmer speak to describe the biological challenge ahead.
To minimize personal risk, Johnson is growing lab-based replicas of his own tissues to test experimental drugs before trying them himself. It's like having a biological crash test dummy made from your own cells.
"Yes, we'll make mistakes," he acknowledged. "Hopefully they won't be fatal."
Johnson Pushes Back On Ozempic Anti-Aging Claims
Johnson, who reportedly spends $2 million annually on anti-aging treatments, also weighed in on diabetes drug hype last August. He dismissed claims that Novo Nordisk's (NVO) Ozempic reverses biological aging.
"Data is not there yet to call Ozempic as anti-aging therapy," he said, pointing to limitations in a small 32-week trial involving just 84 HIV patients.
Johnson argues the fat loss observed likely reflected relief from drug-induced metabolic problems rather than genuine anti-aging effects. In other words, fixing damage isn't the same as reversing the clock.