To them, ageing is a technical problem that can, and will, be fixed': how the rich and powerful plan to live for ever

"Imagine you're the leader of one of the most powerful nations in the world. You have everything you could want at your disposal: power, influence, money. But, the problem is, your time at the top is fleeting. I'm not talking about the prospect of a coup or a revolution, or even a democratic election: I'm talking about the thing even more certain in life than taxes. I'm talking about death."

"In early September, China's Xi Jinping and Russia's Vladimir Putin were caught on mic talking about strategies to stay young. With the development of biotechnology, human organs can be continuously transplanted, and people can live younger and younger, and even achieve immortality, Putin said via an interpreter to Xi. There's a chance, he continued, of also living to 150 [years old]."

"Over the centuries, we have used ever more sophisticated technology to heal ourselves into unprecedented longevity. In the 20th century, it was innovations in public health and medicine that effected this transformation, allowing today's children to live longer, healthier lives than at any time in history. Yet that's still not enough for some. I got curious about the growing cadre of billionaire investors coming from Silicon Valley who wanted to live for ever."

Powerful national leaders and wealthy investors are considering technologies aimed at significantly extending human lifespan. Remarks by global leaders referenced biotechnology-driven organ replacement and the prospect of living to 150 years. Historical public health and medical advances already increased average longevity dramatically. A subset of billionaire investors from Silicon Valley is funding research and personal experiments aimed at radical life extension. Biohackers and experimental subjects are attempting extreme procedures and protocols in pursuit of longevity. The possibility of very long-lived or effectively immortal leaders creates profound political, ethical, and social questions about inequality, power concentration, and governance.

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