Living Forever: How Tech Billionaires Are Rewriting the Rules of Ageing

American psychologist Abraham Maslow introduced a theory in 1943 known as Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, which organises human needs into five levels: physiological, safety, love and belonging, esteem, and self-actualisation.

The framework suggests that human motivation develops in stages, beginning with basic survival needs and gradually moving toward higher-level psychological and self-fulfilment goals.

Maslow’s theory also helps explain why many of the world’s billionaires are dying to live longer. From Amazon’s Jeff Bezos to OpenAI’s Sam Altman, several high-profile entrepreneurs are investing heavily in longevity research.

Their aim is to slow or reverse cellular ageing, treat age-related diseases, and come up with lifestyle products such as supplements and advanced health-tracking devices.

An Indian entrepreneur has also joined this league of supporters of longevity research. Deepinder Goyal, founder of Eternal, has recently invested $25 million of his personal wealth in Continue Research, a firm exploring whether gravity plays a role in the ageing process.

Deepinder Goyal: Is Gravity Why We Age?

Goyal has recently published an open-source hypothesis proposing that gravity, by chronically reducing cerebral blood flow in upright humans, may be an overlooked factor in brain ageing—and, by extension, whole-body ageing.

He outlined the idea in a blog post that explains how a simple systems-thinking insight led him from personal health optimisation to a theory he now believes warrants rigorous scientific evaluation.

The core of Goyal’s argument is that since humans spend most of their lives upright, with the brain positioned above the heart, gravity causes a subtle but persistent reduction in cerebral blood flow (CBF). Over decades, he says, this small but continuous deficit can trigger capillary loss and gradual brain decline, which then cascades into broader physiological ageing.

If the gravity-CBF hypothesis proves correct, Goyal believes that addressing it could extend the period of preserved cognition and health. It does not promise dramatic leaps in lifespan immediately, but aims to add meaningful decades of healthier, more productive living.

He frames this as complementary to existing ageing research, noting that evolution optimised humans for reproduction—not for multi-decade maintenance of physiological function.

Billionaires Investing in Longevity

Several of the world’s most influential tech billionaires are now major backers of longevity research, pouring money into labs and biotech start-ups working to slow, halt, or even reverse aspects of ageing.

In the last 25 years, the ultra-wealthy have spent more than $5 billion on longevity, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis of investment deals tracked by PitchBook. The trend points to a maturing market, with capital increasingly flowing into larger, more strategic bets—particularly in platform technologies and consumer-focused longevity solutions.

Jeff Bezos is one of the most prominent names in this space. He has invested heavily in Altos Labs, a company focused on cellular reprogramming, and has also backed Unity Biotechnology, which develops drugs to target and clear senescent cells.

Peter Thiel has been one of Silicon Valley’s earliest and most vocal advocates for radical longevity. For more than a decade, he has been associated with life-extension efforts, supporting initiatives such as the Methuselah Foundation and investing in several anti-ageing start-ups through Founders Fund. Thiel has even expressed interest in cryonics—the practice of preserving legally deceased human or animal bodies at extremely low temperatures in the hope that future technology might one day revive and restore them.

OpenAI founder Sam Altman has invested roughly $180 million in Retro Biosciences, a company aiming to add at least a decade of healthy lifespan through cellular reprogramming and plasma-based interventions.

Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt has also entered the field as an investor in NewLimit, an epigenetic reprogramming start-up co-founded by Coinbase’s Brian Armstrong. Armstrong himself is deeply involved in the company’s direction, with NewLimit focused on rejuvenating ageing cells and developing next-generation longevity therapies.

Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan contribute through the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, which funds biomedical research aimed at curing, preventing, or managing disease—including age-related conditions. Their Biohub projects support large-scale scientific efforts that often intersect with longevity science.

Meanwhile, Yuri Milner, another influential tech investor, has joined Jeff Bezos in backing Altos Labs. Futurist and entrepreneur Peter Diamandis, though not always grouped with Silicon Valley’s mainstream billionaire circle, is also a prominent figure in the longevity ecosystem. He co-founded Human Longevity, Inc., and directs substantial investment into ageing research through his venture fund, BOLD Capital.

Why Are Billionaires Investing in Longevity?

Billionaires are investing in longevity because it sits at the intersection of personal motivation, scientific opportunity, and enormous economic potential.

On a personal level, many are driven by the desire to extend their own healthy lifespan. Naveen Jainfounder and CEO of Viome Life Sciences, for example, has reportedly said that his father’s death from pancreatic cancer pushed him to found the healthtech start-up, which has raised more than $230 million.

Viome sells at-home health tests and uses the data to offer personalised nutrition and supplement recommendations. Jain has invested $30 million of his own wealth into the company, while other notable backers include Marc Benioff and Khosla Ventures.

Personalities such as Peter Attia, David Sinclair, Peter Diamandis and Bryan Johnson have further elevated the visibility of longevity research. Through their books, companies, and public influence, they have helped shape the field and drive demand, making longevity both aspirational and accessible to a wider audience.

Beyond personal reasons, there is also an economic incentive at play. At present, longevity is no longer just a scientific pursuit—it is being viewed as a future trillion-dollar industry.

According to Oxford Economics, the broader longevity economy, which includes goods, services, and technologies related to anti-ageing, health, and elderly care, is estimated to generate $7.6 trillion in annual economic activity.

This massive market potential is one of the key reasons investors see longevity as a transformative sector with the potential to reshape global healthcare and consumer industries.

Business Opportunities in Longevity

If companies succeed in delaying or reversing age-related decline, the market for such therapies could surpass today’s pharmaceutical, healthcare, and wellness sectors combined.

The longevity sector is quickly emerging as a major investment frontier as the world shifts toward preventive and personalised healthcare, a PRCNX Investment report stated.

As per the report, breakthroughs in regenerative medicine—from stem cell therapies to CRISPR-based interventions—are among the fastest-growing areas, advancing alongside AI-powered nutrition platforms, biological-age analytics, and next-generation digital health tools.

At the consumer level, longevity clinics, biohacking centres, and wearable-driven health monitoring are gaining rapid traction. Investors are funnelling significant capital into biotech and AI-led drug discovery, while corporations are increasingly adopting wellness programmes to improve workforce productivity.

For early investors in this sector, the opportunity is massive. They stand to own the foundational companies that could define an entirely new category of medicine.