Bryan Johnson: From Fintech Innovation to Cryptocurrencies, the Journey of Those Who Reject Biological Decline

When discussing alternative visions of the future, few names in the crypto-tech community evoke the same fascination as Bryan Johnson. But contrary to what one might think, his dedication to the “not dying” movement and anti-aging treatments has not always been at the center of his life. Had circumstances been different, the entrepreneur now known as the longevity guru might have taken a completely different path.

From Braintree to cryptocurrencies: the crossroads that changed the course

Johnson founded Braintree in 2007, a company specializing in mobile and online payments that grew exponentially up to 4,000% annually. In 2012, he acquired Venmo, consolidating his position in the fintech sector. The company was then sold to PayPal in 2013 for $800 million, with Johnson pocketing $300 million from the deal. At that pivotal moment, he was also developing a partnership with a major cryptocurrency exchange platform to enable merchants to accept Bitcoin and process crypto payments. According to his own statements, if he had not sold Braintree at that time, he could have dedicated himself entirely to the blockchain sector.

“We were among the pioneers in adopting cryptocurrencies in our segment,” he recalls. “I was very optimistic about the possibilities offered by this universe, but then life took a different turn. But of course, there is an alternative version of my story where everything revolves around blockchain technology.”

Today, with a declared net worth of about $400 million, Johnson finds himself representing a fascinating bridge between two worlds: that of digital financial innovations and that of biotech research to extend human longevity. Both, according to his reasoning, share a common philosophy of rejecting the limits imposed by the system.

Network School: where financial and biological freedom converge

The role of co-founder of Network School, a project developed together with the former Chief Technology Officer of a major crypto platform, represents the confluence of these two passions. The school, located in Malaysia at Forest City, hosts 150 libertarian capitalists oriented towards technology for an immersive three-month program. The initiative reflects the broader concept of “Network State” – a vision that imagines decentralized communities based on open source values and financial systems anchored to Bitcoin, operating outside traditional power structures.

Several prominent figures in the blockchain community – including protocol developers, platform founders, and world-renowned venture capitalists – actively support this approach. Johnson explains that the school aims to bring together “free thinkers” intent on developing innovative models. “If we look at the history of civilization, true leaps forward rarely come from established institutions. They emerge from the margins, from small groups in the right environments,” he emphasizes.

One of the secondary goals of Network School specifically involves supporting biotech founders attending the program, with the aim of helping humanity overcome its biological constraints. This directly connects to Johnson’s Don’t Die project, an initiative promoting life extension through optimized nutritional regimes, exercise protocols, and innovative treatments.

Biological research as an analogy to the rejection of scarcity

Johnson recognizes that many innovators in the crypto sector are fascinated by longevity research. Some – like historical figures in the blockchain community – have publicly expressed interest in cryogenics and the possibility of “curing” aging. When asked about the reason for this connection, Johnson offers an interesting interpretation: “The connection is like parallel tracks. Those who appreciate one tend to appreciate the other.”

His analogy is explicit: “Bitcoin fundamentally rejects currency inflation. I fundamentally reject biological inflation – that is, aging. Both represent a slow erosion, and we reject this vision of inevitable decline.”

During the Network State Summit, the concept was further articulated by other speakers: Bitcoin aims to prevent the State from slowly draining wealth through inflation, while the anti-aging movement seeks to prevent the slow deterioration of human health through passive acceptance of mortality. Both are acts of rebellion against systems that normalize progressive loss.

Biological immortality: from science fiction to concrete project

Although biological immortality has historically been relegated to the science fiction genre, contemporary scientific reality suggests otherwise. Research has shown that some human cells can divide indefinitely. Scientists have successfully transformed adult skin cells into stem cells, and have also reversed age-related vision loss by reprogramming retinal cells. In nature, the immortal jellyfish (Turritopsis dohrnii) exemplifies this concept: it can revert to its polyp stage and restart the cycle perpetually.

“Biology has already solved this problem,” Johnson asserts. “It has already shown us that immortal things can exist. It’s simply a matter of applying this knowledge to our species. It’s entirely solvable.”

Johnson spends millions annually on his personal longevity project, supported by a team of about 30 experts – nutritionists, MRI specialists, biochemists – who constantly monitor and optimize his anti-aging regimen. The protocol is rigorous: precise nutrition, 35 different exercises, and an almost religious emphasis on sleep, to the point that he consumes his last meal at 11 a.m. The success metric, according to Johnson, is his current “aging speed” of 0.64 – meaning that biologically, he celebrates a birthday every 19 months instead of every 12.

“Miracle drugs”: food, movement, and rest

Despite Johnson being known for experiments like plasma transfusions, he constantly emphasizes that the vast majority of benefits come from three pillars: optimal nutrition, physical activity, and sleep. “Many people would prefer it not to be true,” he notes, “because then they have to face an uncomfortable admission: that they simply aren’t doing it.”

However, Johnson also takes specific medications. He has been taking 1,500 mg of metformin daily for four years now; research on animal models indicates that this compound can reverse six years of brain aging. He speaks enthusiastically about semaglutide, a drug shown to significantly reduce the risk of death from any cause. According to Johnson, it represents “one of the greatest advances ever made in medicine” due to its ability to radically transform a person’s relationship with food and nutrition.

He also markets a vast stack of supplements online under the Blueprint brand, where artificial intelligence manages personalized recommendations based on individual biometric data.

Superintelligence and human transformation: the real reason for the obsession

Johnson is not primarily driven by fear of personal death. Rather, he wants to remain present to witness and participate in the transformation of human civilization triggered by artificial intelligence. “Many believe that what I do is simply about personal health,” he clarifies. “In reality, I am trying to answer a bigger question: how will our species behave when it has generated superintelligence?”

His reflections on superintelligence are informed by historic thought experiments. When printing was invented in the 15th century, scribes and copyists protested vehemently, fearing professional obsolescence. From today’s perspective, the invention sparked an explosion of scientific progress and marked one of the most transformative moments in human civilization. “It invites humility,” Johnson reflects, “about the fact that most of what we believe now is ephemeral and will be replaced.”

This long-term thinking process characterizes his vision of how humanity should prepare for the era of superintelligence: not with fear, but with intellectual openness and the awareness that radical change, though destabilizing in the short term, often produces incalculable historical benefits.

A new religion for a new era?

Some observers have noted almost religious aspects in the Don’t Die movement, with its three core principles: not dying as an individual; not causing suffering; not allowing the extinction of the species. Johnson, a former Mormon who abandoned traditional religious faith, does not deny the almost ideological nature of the movement. He has acknowledged that the project “challenges everything we understand about existence,” while being “intuitively correct” for many adherents.

Whether it is a secular religion or a philosophical framework for the 21st century, Johnson’s vision represents a fascinating convergence of economic (Bitcoin) freedom, biological (longevity) freedom, and freedom of thought (Network State). Three parallel rejections of inevitable decline – financial, biological, and intellectual – that together form a counter-narrative to contemporary pessimism.