Kriti Mehrotra
With Netflix’s ‘Don’t Die: The Man Who Wants to Live Forever’ following tech entrepreneur and self-proclaimed anti-ager as he tries to actually defy the process of aging, we get a documentary unlike any other. After all, while there are actual doctors researching the longevity of human life and other related areas, no one apart from Bryan Johnson has taken an extreme stance to try to slow down aging or age backward. Therefore, of course, it comes as no surprise he is met with cynics at every step of the way, making many wonder why he is even doing what he is doing.
Bryan Johnson is First and Foremost an Entrepreneur
When Bryan was just a young boy growing up in Utah, he realized the world works on money and money alone, especially since he grew up in a not-so-financially stable household. His parents, Ellen Huff and Richard Johnson, separated when he was 8, following which he lived with his two siblings, mother, and trucking company owner stepfather. But alas, it was evident to him that they often struggled to even out food on the table, so he used to skip lunches whenever possible and even started working odd jobs to contribute money at home.
This, combined with the fact he was raised as a devout Mormon, drove him down a very traditional path, so he pursued a Bachelor’s in International Studies from Brigham Young University in 2003. Then, he went ahead and earned an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business in 2007 before deciding to venture into the world of tech companies. The former Latter-day Saint missionary had already spent two years in Ecuador and launched three failed startups before 2003, yet he wasn’t deterred because he knew he could do better.
Therefore, in 2007, Bryan founded Braintree, a tech organization that quickly grew to twice its size within two years and then even acquired Venmo in its 5th year in 2012. This acquisition decision was actually made by the founder-CEO after he realized PayPal had stopped its development process after one point, and he wanted to compete with the company before doing even better. By September 2013, Braintree was processing $12 billion in payments annually, shortly after which their valuation skyrocketed, and PayPal decided to acquire them as a whole for an astounding $800 million.
Despite Remarkable Success, Bryan Johnson Wasn’t Content
According to Bryan’s own records, while he was trying to make Braintree Venmo what it eventually became, he was spending most hours at work, sacrificing his sleep and nutrition. This was and still is the norm for entrepreneurs, yet it affected his life for the worse. As per his statements, he was either always stressed at work or lacked energy at home, resulting in several fights with his then-wife and him often being short with their three kids. For solace, he turned to junk food and quick meals, which only affected his health and mood further, making it clear to him that there needed to be a change.
Therefore, at the age of 34 in 2011, Bryan left the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and filed for divorce around the same time, too, because he knew things just didn’t align. A couple of years later, he even sold Braintree Venmo before launching his own venture capital firm, OS Fund, in 2014 and his non-invasive neuroimaging technology company, Kernel, in 2016. He invested his own money into both these organizations and did seem to be doing better because he had realized he needed to focus on his health more than anything else.
It was while Bryan was operating Kernel that he came across several medical procedures, concepts, and ideas, which, when combined with his own distrust over his mind, drove him down the route of anti-aging. That’s because he is of the belief that our brain is addicted to the sense of control, and that’s when it leads us to addiction and negative thoughts, too, so we can not completely rely on it. This is because he was near suicidal during his lowest periods in the early 2010s, and he knew something had to change; hence came Project Blueprint.
Bryan Johnson Spends Millions Per Year For His Project, But He is Happier Than Ever
It was on October 13, 2021, when Bryan announced he had decided to venture into anti-aging with a project called Project Blueprint with the help of over 50 doctors from all across the globe. This attempt includes prioritizing his sleep, food intake, and exercise. It also involves several other more advanced steps to really see if he can stop or, at least, slow down the process of aging. So today, he sleeps for over 8 hours every night, wakes up at 5:30 am, has a specialized UV light to stand under for an hour, exercises for another, and takes over 100 supplements a day to help.
Bryan’s schedule even involves technology for hair growth, plasma transfusions, and reverse gene therapy, all of which are in an attempt for him to live as long of a life as possible. However, he knows that most of what he is doing is not sustainable because it not only consumes the majority of his day but also costs over $2 million a year. His hope is to be the first in line to achieve what he wants, following which scientists and doctors can perfect treatments and make them more accessible for normal individuals. There are treatments that he has done that haven’t worked, and there are some that have, but he is very candid about every aspect of it on social media.
Nevertheless, since Bryan is an entrepreneur and a venture capitalist, he has also made it his business in a way, albeit as an influencer who comes from a place of positivity. Through affiliate links on his websites, selling supplements and nutritious food in his shop, and holding events all across the globe, he now essentially has a following of Project Blueprint fans who want to slow down aging like him. As of writing, as per reports, Bryan is at his personal best and only ages 0.62% a year, and he hopes to continue improving this number by staying on his strict diet and regimen. He also hopes to continue inspiring others all over the world to lead their best possible lives, for which he even travels a lot. Whether it be China, India, or Brazil, he has been everywhere in the past few months alone. Today, he is happier than he ever was, and he can’t wait to live a long life.
Read More: Ellen Huff and Richard Johnson: Where Are Bryan Johnson’s Parents Now?
