Altman's investment in longevity research aligns with similar pursuits by other tech billionaires, including Jeff Bezos and Peter Thiel. However, Retro Biosciences views its work as a public good rather than a business model for increasing a billionaire's net worth. The company, which has until about 2030 to run on Altman's funding, hopes to have some breakthroughs by then, akin to recent successes with OpenAI and ChatGPT.
Key takeaways:
- Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, has started a $180 million side project called Retro Biosciences, aiming to add 10 healthy years to human lifetimes. The project is in collaboration with Joe Betts-LaCroix, a scientist, biophysicist, and computer whiz.
- Retro Biosciences is focusing on three anti-aging techniques: autophagy (cellular recycling), cellular reprogramming (making old cells act young again), and plasma therapy (diluting blood plasma with saline).
- Altman is very involved in the project, meeting with Betts-LaCroix once a week to discuss progress and strategy. He views the project as a part of his broader mission to future-proof the world.
- Other tech billionaires, including Jeff Bezos and Peter Thiel, are also investing in life extension research. However, some experts question whether the focus should be on extending the lives of the wealthy or on reducing health disparities for all.