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- Tech elites are spending billions to unlock longevity and anti-aging tech, but the benefits seem exclusive to the ultra-wealthy. Is this the birth of an immortality gap?
- From gene editing to plasma transfusions, billionaires are racing to escape death—but Gen Z questions whether these goals help humanity or just deepen inequality.
- If immortality tech works, who gets access? This article unpacks the ethical red flags around private science, inequality, and the future of aging.
Tech Billionaires Want to Live Forever—But Should We Let Them?
Imagine waking up every day knowing death isn’t knocking—not now, not ever. Eternal life, baby. Now imagine that only the ultra-rich—your Musks, Bezoses, and Silicon Valley golden boys—get to do it. Creepy? Yeah, a little.
The billionaires of today aren’t just investing in rockets and brain chips anymore. They’ve moved on to something much bigger: cheating death. Whether it’s through blood transfusions from young people (yup, that’s a real thing), gene reprogramming, or digital consciousness uploads, the rich are throwing obscene amounts of cash at one question: “Can I live forever?”
But here’s the thing—just because we can (maybe) doesn’t mean we should. Especially not if it’s only the 1% who get the key to immortality.
Who's Trying to Be Immortal?
Let’s name-drop some usual suspects:
- Jeff Bezos poured millions into Altos Labs, a startup working on cellular reprogramming to reverse aging.
- Bryan Johnson, the Biohacking Ken Doll, spends $2M+ a year trying to reverse his biological age. He even used his teenage son’s plasma.
- Elon Musk talks about mind uploads like it's tomorrow's iOS update.
- Peter Thiel? He's been obsessed with anti-aging and cryonics for years.
These aren’t sci-fi characters. They’re real, rich, and seriously trying to hack human biology to escape the ultimate fate: death.
The Science of "Not Dying" (Yet)
The buzzwords are everywhere:
CRISPR, gene editing, cellular reprogramming, epigenetic clocks, blood rejuvenation, and mind uploading.
Most of it is still experimental. Some of it is straight-up dystopian.
There’s legit research happening—like reprogramming Yamanaka factors to turn old cells young again. But the question isn’t just can we do this. It’s who’s funding it and why.
Right now, it’s tech elites pumping money into private labs. There’s zero regulation, and the goal isn’t exactly public health—it’s personal immortality.
Immortality for the 1%?
Let’s be honest: if this works, it’s not going to be accessible.
There won’t be a “Live Forever for $29.99/month” subscription on Amazon. This tech will be gatekept harder than Ivy League admissions. It’ll be luxury. It’ll be status. It’ll be the ultimate flex.
And what happens then? You’ve got billionaires living for 200+ years, compounding wealth while the rest of us are stuck in a system they literally outlive. Imagine the political and economic power they’d hold. Imagine trying to vote out a guy who’s been around since the iPhone 1.
The Ethics Get Real Messy
Let’s break this down, Gen Z style:
🧬 Health or Vanity? – Reversing disease and extending life = cool. Hoarding immortality to stay relevant? Hard pass.
🧠 Humanity vs. Tech Lords – We already deal with wealth gaps. An immortality gap? That’s next-level dystopia.
🌍 Planet Problems – More people living forever means more strain on resources unless population growth stops. And let’s be real—billionaires aren’t the ones struggling with housing or water shortages.
💸 Who Benefits? – If the rich live forever, does the system ever reset? Or do they just keep stacking the deck?
Gen Z Isn't Buying the Hype
We see through the biohacking Instagram posts and longevity YouTube gurus. We grew up watching climate collapse, student debt explode, and healthcare systems fail. Now we’re supposed to be impressed that a 57-year-old tech guy looks 39?
Nah.
What we want? Accessible healthcare. Better mental health support. Systems that help us live well, not forever. If the energy and money being spent on living forever went into making right now better, maybe we wouldn’t be side-eyeing the immortality crowd so hard.
Okay, But What If It Does Work?
Let’s entertain the idea that the science gets there. What’s the best-case scenario?
✔️ Everyone gets access, not just the elite.
✔️ Lifespan and quality of life improve.
✔️ It’s used to cure aging-related diseases, not just vanity.
✔️ We rethink what work, education, and community look like if we live past 100.
Sounds dreamy—but right now, that’s not what’s happening. What is happening is elite-funded science done in private, with goals that benefit individuals, not society.
Should We Let Them?
If you asked me? No one’s “letting” them. They're already doing it.
But we can—and should—ask better questions:
- Who controls longevity tech?
- Who benefits?
- What does fairness look like in a world where death is optional (for some)?
The idea of living forever feels like progress. But if it only reinforces inequality, it’s not progress. It’s digital feudalism.
As Gen Z, we’re already fighting to reclaim power in climate, politics, and economics. This immortality hustle? Just another battle we didn’t ask for—but might have to show up for anyway.
Stay informed, stay skeptical, and stay curious about the future of human life—with Woke Waves Magazine.
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