Will the Rich Live Forever?
There are these podcasts where you hear lots of familiar talk, things you already know, and then suddenly there are five minutes that make you go, “wait a minute… really?”
This episode is exactly that.
Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong is being interviewed by Nicolai Tangen, both billionaires. They’re talking about crypto adoption, stablecoins, regulation, all the usual stuff. But in the last ten minutes or so, Tangen suddenly brings up a different topic.
Armstrong is known to be interested in longevity, the science of extending human lifespan. He’s invested in companies working on it. So Tangen asks him how old he is (43), and then how long he thinks he might live, given the progress in longevity research.
Armstrong kind of dodges the question at first. Then Tangen throws out: “200–300 years?” And Armstrong basically goes, “yes.”
That really made me stop and think.
Up to now, I always had the impression we were talking maybe 100–150 years at best. But double or triple that? That’s like living three lives in one. Is that really where we’re heading as humans?
And since all this biotech won’t come cheap, is it fair that ultra-rich people might afford something the rest won’t? At least for the foreseeable future?
I’m skeptical.
Humanity, as we know it, is defined by mortality, by a limited lifespan. If we stretch that dramatically, even just for a small group of people, it raises huge questions. Will there still be enough turnover in leadership? Or will the same people stay in power for centuries?
And on a personal level, what do you even do with that much time? After 100 years, you could have built companies, traveled the world, maybe even raised multiple families if you wanted to. Time wouldn’t feel scarce anymore, at least not for those who can afford it.
I honestly struggle to imagine it. But Tangen got quite interested and obviously was surprised himself that such a huge life extension could be possible in the coming decades. You could tell by his voice.
For myself, I’m not even sure I’d want to live several hundred years. A healthy life of 90+ years already feels like a huge gift, and enough time to do what I want to do.
