Why it matters: Bryan Johnson, the tech millionaire famed for his many attempts to reverse or even stop the natural aging process, has admitted that after thinking things over, he may have taken the "whole longevity thing" too far. His post comes soon after he was diagnosed with a second autoimmune disease and said that people may live to 500.
Braintree founder Johnson became the subject of many household conversations after appearing in the Netflix documentary Don't Die: The Man Who Wants to Live Forever. His experiments to defy aging included injecting himself with plasma from his teenage son and following a regimen of 54 supplements every day.
But it seems like Johnson may be becoming disillusioned with his many attempts to live forever. He wrote in a post on X, "been thinking things over and wonder if i've taken this whole longevity thing too far."
– Bryan Johnson (@bryan_johnson) July 30, 2026
Johnson's apparent burnout comes less than a month after he was diagnosed with autoimmune gastritis (AIG), which, in Johnson's words, has led to his stomach "eating itself." He said he would try to "solve the condition," despite it being incurable.
Johnson blamed his diet of cereal, soda, and fast food as a kid, combined with the stress of later becoming a father of three and building a business, for his autoimmune conditions – he was also diagnosed with autoimmune hypothyroidism at age 21.
This still feels like a quick turnaround for Johnson, given that he'd just told his followers that they may live to 500.
Johnson's experiments have not always gone to plan. In January last year, he discovered that one of the 50+ tablets he took every day was having the opposite effect from what he intended: it was making him older, not younger.
The medicine, originally used as an immunosuppressant to prevent organ transplant rejection and as a treatment for certain cancers and rare diseases, was causing many unpleasant issues, including skin infections, lipid abnormalities, high glucose levels, and increased resting heart rate.
Johnson is said to spend around $2 million annually on his health regimen, which includes a vegan diet, avoiding the sun, lots of sex, and daily exercise. He is also a strong advocate of taking psilocybin mushrooms, which he said have compelling longevity potential and calmed his body and mind.
One of Johnson's more famous, and painful-sounding, experiments involved applying shock treatments to his genitals in an apparent effort to gain the erections of an 18-year-old.
It's hard to imagine that Johnson rethinking his longevity quest is due to money problems. He earned over $300 million when his mobile and web payment company Braintree was acquired by PayPal in 2013, and he now sells his own supplement stacks and individualized health regimens under the Blueprint name.