Longevity guru Bryan Johnson: "People really want me to die"
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LOS ANGELES — Bryan Johnson, the face of the longevity movement who believes he may never die, announced recently that he had an incurable autoimmune disease — and his critics cheered, he told "The Axios Show" in an exclusive interview Monday.
- "I mean, I think people really want me to die. Now I get it. It's funny. It's ironic. I push a lot of buttons that people don't like," he said.
The big picture: As Johnson himself acknowledged, there's an irony in the founder of the "Don't Die" movement watching people celebrate his diagnosis. But Johnson sees his diagnosis as rocket fuel for his mission to promote longevity, rather than a setback.
Catch up quick: Johnson, 49, has autoimmune gastritis (AIG), a chronic condition in which the immune system attacks healthy cells in the stomach lining.
- Johnson said "there was joy all around the world" after he announced his diagnosis in July.
- He spends millions of dollars a year on extreme health interventions, documenting the experiments for an online following that has ballooned to roughly 8 million across platforms including YouTube.
- When asked if any of his interventions could have fueled his AIG diagnosis, he said: "No. I got diagnosed with hypothyroidism when I was 21 years old. The thyroid and the stomach are very closely linked in immunology. I probably have had this thing for about 30 years."
The intrigue: Johnson views the diagnosis, which might appear to undermine his campaign against aging, as just another test of it.
- In his view, his efforts to do more than manage the disease can help prove the efficacy of his ambitions.
- "I like the challenge. I'm up for it. I think it's good timing. I'm going to get diagnosed with something at some point. Why not this?"
Friction point: Johnson, who calls himself the "most measured person in the world," spends over $2 million a year on his personal health and longevity treatments. He has an entire medical concierge team and a makeshift doctor's office in his home.
- Experts say the cause of the disease is unknown, and that Johnson's proposed effort to reverse it is experimental.
Zoom out: Johnson made his fortune founding Braintree, which bought Venmo and was later sold to PayPal for $800 million.
- He now runs longevity businesses including Blueprint and Immortals, alongside neurotechnology company Kernel and venture fund OS Fund.
Between the lines: One common critique of intensive health tracking is that more testing can uncover more abnormalities, not all of them meaningful.
- Doctors warn that false positives and incidental findings can trigger a "cascade" of follow-up tests and treatments that can bring added cost, stress, and in some cases, harm.
Johnson is a full-throated fan: "I personally appreciate information. I want to know because when you find things early, you're much more likely to be able to address them."
- He also said his process doesn't feel addictive to him, adding that "the biggest addiction in the world is to make money."
The bottom line: The face of the longevity movement sees the hit to his public health record as another potential achievement in his quest to live forever.
