World’s Wealthiest Bet on Longevity, with Billion-Dollar Investments

Some of the world’s wealthiest individuals are pouring resources into technologies and drugs aimed at extending human life. A notable example is Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, who has invested $3 billion in Altos Labs, now the largest biotech company. Altos Labs is focused on biological reprogramming technology, which seeks to rejuvenate human cells in laboratory settings. Given that the human body comprises trillions of cells, the company’s success in this endeavor could potentially lead to significant extensions of human lifespan.

Similarly, PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel has made substantial investments in the Methuselah Foundation, an organization dedicated to combating disease and extending life through cutting-edge technologies. Meanwhile, Sam Altman, founder of ChatGPT, has committed $180 million to Retro BioScience, a company claiming its advancements could extend human life by up to 10 years.

Recent scientific breakthroughs have bolstered these ambitions. Researchers from Imperial College London and Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore have developed a drug that extended the lifespan of lab rats by 25%.

However, not everyone is optimistic about these developments. Phil Clery, founder of the SmartWater Group, has raised ethical concerns. He warned that such technologies could be accessible only to the wealthy, potentially creating a society where longevity becomes a privilege for the elite. Clery referred to this scenario as one dominated by “posh zombies” — the rich who could afford to live far longer than the average person.

Clery argued that the focus of billionaires should shift from extending their own lives to addressing urgent global issues, particularly child mortality. He pointed out that five million children die each year from hunger and inadequate medical care.

He further cautioned that longevity treatments could exacerbate global inequality. According to Clery, a drug capable of extending life by decades would likely deepen the divide between rich and poor, as only affluent individuals could afford such advancements. The poor, meanwhile, would continue to struggle for basic necessities.

Clery emphasized that the true purpose of life lies in helping others, particularly ensuring that children survive to adulthood. He argued that efforts and resources should prioritize saving lives rather than prolonging the lifespans of the wealthy.

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