The portrait of a controversial pioneer of the longevity lifestyle: Meet Bryan Johnson.

A story of change.

OK, we are all set. 3, 2, 1. Let’s begin.
Interviewer: Name, please.
Bryan: Bryan Johnson.
Interviewer: Age?
Bryan: Chronological or biological?
- Let’s go with chronological at the moment.
- 47 years.
- And how about biological?
- Depends on which part of my body you are referring to. For instance, I have the heart of a 37-year-old, the lungs of a 20-year-old, and the metabolism of an 18-year-old.
- Impressive! So, Bryan, can I call you Bryan?
- Well in the media I have been called many things. The Most Measured Man in Human History, The centimillionaire in war with death, even the anti-aging guy…
- umm…
- Yes, yes, you can call me Bryan.
- Well Bryan, tell us a bit about yourself.
- I sold my company, Braintree Venmo, to PayPal in 2013 for $800m and spent much of the following decade overeating, drinking too much, and dealing with depression, unable to stop myself, control myself, or even trust myself. And that is where Blueprint was born.

What is Project Blueprint?

- Wow, that was quite a lot at the get-go. Let’s jump right in then, tell us about Project Blueprint [link Project Blueprint] and what you are trying to achieve with it.
- Well, my motto is “Don’t Die.” That should tell you enough. I believe death is our only foe. So, I am now in a 3-year long battle against death. I have spent millions on this war. Of course, I can’t stop time from passing and therefore my chronological age rises just like everyone else’s. My biological age is what I want to slow down or better yet reverse.
I spend $2 million (£1.6m) yearly to develop Blueprint, an algorithm that takes better care of me than I can myself. What do I mean by that? I want my body to speak for itself. I quantify the age and need of my organs by taking hundreds of measurements of my body’s biological processes. Essentially this constant measurement means that my organs are telling me what they need to be in an ideal state and I provide that. And I leave the necessary decisions to the algorithm. [1] Because my mind can’t be trusted. Do you understand what I mean?
- Oh, I wish I didn’t but I must admit I get it. As someone who measures their calorie intake all day and suddenly after 12 a.m. starts eating the other half of the pizza specifically left because maximum calories were reached for the day (with diet Coke of course, I’m not a maniac) thinking calories just don’t count at night, I surely understand what you are referring to. I get the appeal of an algorithm dictating your every move instead of leaving the choice to you.
- Haha, exactly! We all have many different versions of ourselves and each is competing for dominance. I fired evening-Bryan and decide-what-to-eat-Bryan early in my journey for this exact reason. And I let data, science, and my body take the wheel instead. [2] Blueprint is backed by every scientific publication on health span and lifespan, around 2,000 publications. And we take each study, apply several criteria to it – some are animal models, so we make that discernment – and then we prioritize. We monitor the effects of the treatments and we abandon it if we don’t see progress. [4]

Does it work?

- it’s all very interesting but with all this effort, is it really working Bryan? Are you nearing your goal?
- Well, my team of doctors are constantly monitoring everything in my body, from cholesterol levels to telomere lengths. My goal is to remain the same age biologically for every 365 days of chronological time. My aging pace currently is 0.69. This essentially means that for every 365 days of the year, I age 277 days. [3] So yes, I would say it is working.

Is it really for everyone?

- But Bryan, you claim to be doing all this for everyone, all humanity. That is admirable certainly, but do you really think that the average person can or even should follow this extreme routine? Based on your blueprint you take over 100 pills a day, you don’t eat past 11 a.m., you wake up at 4.30 a.m. and go to sleep at 8.30 p.m., and, excuse me for being blunt. You don’t seem to have any social life and I think surely this affects aging as well. Not to mention all the intense treatments and repetitive meals. I think most people will either say that they don’t want to live such a life or that they can’t.
- Yes, you are not wrong. The people who don’t want this life may come to change their minds as they age. However, the ones that want it but think they can’t have it, Blueprint provides a solution for them. I want to take self-discipline out of this process. By automating the process of health via an algorithm we are not asking people to be more disciplined. We are all addicts to cheap dopamine; discipline is too much to ask of the modern individual who has thousands of ways to access easy satisfaction.
- Well Bryan, we won’t take up much more of your time. It was a stimulating and interesting conversation and we can’t wait to have you over for real one of these times.

Bryan leaves the room.

We sit back, contemplating the vacant seat that once held a man at war with the ripper himself. And let our conversation flow through our minds again. Thousands of questions rush our brain. A man who uses his own body as a research subject. Will it work? Can he beat his genetics? Will the data, this Blueprint, really help anyone? Will it supply researchers with important data to advance the field? This is a man who established his Blueprint on a Zeroism philosophy. Meaning, that he is running after an idea that is not just outside of the box. But outside of the realm of what we imagine possible. [5] This is his belief and unfortunately, with this kind of idea, we can’t know for sure if it is just one rich man’s mad dream or a great future leap for humankind. Similar to most things in the longevity realm, this seems to be a waiting game as well. Bryan has now offered to supply the supplements he uses to a selected group of people for the price of 330$ a month. There is one thing we can’t deny, he is moving forward with his plans and has begun involving more people in his, shall we say game? Experiment? Or as he puts it, explorations. Global warming, pollution, hunger, war; many things are coming to get us, time is not our only foe. However, to solve each of these problems we need time. The painful irony is, as Hector Berlioz puts it, “Time is a great teacher, but unfortunately it kills all its pupils.” What if we could escape that faith for just a bit longer? What will we learn? How will we use it? Tell us your opinions on this man’s quest for longevity in the comments below! Are you intrigued? Following Johnson’s Blueprint might not be the best idea. Longevity is personalized and therefore having a treatment that is tailored to your needs and your preferences is a must. Zova’s mission is to provide just that, check out our services here [link website, services here], to see how you can receive a tailored longevity plan.

Disclaimer

This is a work of creative writing and is intended for informational and speculative purposes only. The “interview” featured in this piece is entirely fictional and has been inspired by Johnson’s own writings, Blueprint, Instagram page, and interviews, all referenced down below. It does not represent any actual statements, views, or endorsements from Johnson and it is not an official or authorized representation of his thoughts and opinions. Readers are encouraged to refer to the reliable sources below for accurate information from Johnson himself.