The David McWilliams Podcast10 Jul 2025

Who Wants to Live Forever? The Economics of Immortality, Tech Bros & Tír na nÓg

This week, we start with Oasis and end in Silicon Valley, via Tír na nÓg. We’re talking about the economics of not dying, and how tech billionaires are pouring billions into that dream. From Oasis belting Live Forever to Irish mythology’s take on eternal youth, we ask: why are we so obsessed with dodging death? We explore the surreal story of Brian Johnson, the tech bro spending $2 million a year trying to reverse ageing. Vegan diet, 100 supplements a day, teenage blood transfusions… all in an effort to achieve his goal of slowing his biological clock by 7.5 months every year. Meanwhile, he's founded a Don't Die movement with Discord channels, Blueprint protocols, and longevity summits. We dig into the money behind it all: the anti-ageing industry is already worth $70 billion and is projected to hit $140 billion by 2034. Google’s Calico Labs, Bezos’s $3 billion bet on Altos Labs, and a biotech unicorn called Cambrian Bio (valued at $1.8 billion) are all racing to crack the longevity code. What kind of world are we building? Is this the new Tír na nÓg, a fantasy only for the rich? We imagine a world where ageing is optional… but only if you can afford it.

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