Putin And Billionaires Desire Longevity

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) has published an article titled, “Inside Putin’s $26 billion Quest for Longevity.” The story opens with a revealing anecdote: Putin was overheard on a hot mic telling Chinese leader Xi Jinping in September that humans might someday achieve immortality by continuous organ replacement. What sounded like an offhand remark in a conversation between two aging dictators was, according to the article, an oblique glimpse into a serious Kremlin-backed scientific project.

The WSJ article portrays Putin as part of a global cohort of wealthy and powerful figures--tech billionaires such as Jeff Bezos, Sam Altman, and Peter Thiel--who are investing heavily in longevity science. The difference is that Putin has made it a national priority rather than a private venture.