Longevity enthusiast Bryan Johnson says he doesn’t want to run his antiaging company anymore

• Bryan Johnson, 47, is on a quest for youth and eternal life.
• Johnson started his own antiaging startup, Blueprint, and recently founded his own religion.
• He says he's thinking of closing or selling Blueprint to focus on his religion instead.

For Bryan Johnson, balancing profit and prophet isn't easy.

The biotech entrepreneur told Wired's Katie Drummond in an interview published Monday that he was considering winding up or selling his antiaging startup, Blueprint.

"Honestly, I am so close to either shutting it down or selling it," he told Drummond, adding that he'd "been talking to people about this."

"I don't need the money, and it's a pain-in-the-ass company," he said.

Johnson didn't respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

Johnson, 47, is best known for his aggressive quest for eternal youth. In 2021, Johnson embarked on his antiaging program, Project Blueprint, which he says costs him $2 million a year.

At one point, Johnson infused himself with blood from his son to slow down his aging. He stopped the transfusions after six months, saying there were "no benefits detected."

Johnson's company sells a variety of wellness products. These include a $55 "longevity mix" drink and a $42 mushroom coffee alternative called "Super Shrooms."

In March, Johnson announced on X that he was starting his own religion, "Don't Die." The name is derived from the slogan Johnson used to brand his Netflix documentary, products, and events.

"Years ago, I did a thought experiment imagining myself in the presence of people from the 25th century. It seemed obvious that they'd say Don't Die is how humanity saved itself and merged with AI," Johnson wrote in an X post at the time.

Now, Johnson says he's beginning to see how running a longevity-focused business may not mesh with preaching a religion on the same subject.

Johnson said he started the longevity business because his friends were asking him for the health supplements he was taking.

"It just evolved in a way where I was trying to do people a solid. The problem is now people see the business and give me less credibility on the philosophy side," Johnson said.

"I will not make that trade-off. It is not worth it to me. So yeah, I don't want it," he added.

On Tuesday, Johnson wrote in an X post in response to BI's story that the interview with Wired had taken place three months ago.

"The truth is that I need Blueprint. The world needs Blueprint," he wrote, adding that he has "explored the options" and decided to go "all in" on the business.

Johnson said in his post that he intends to combine the work he's doing at Blueprint with the "Don't Die" religion because "they really are the same thing."

"To do this, we're raising money and we need hard core builders. I'm hiring a CEO and CTO who can lead the business day to day while I focus on Don't Die," he continued.

In February, Johnson announced on X that Blueprint was hiring a president to "effectively allocate 100% of my mental energy to Don't Die." Blueprint is offering an annual salary of $250,000, on top of equity, for the remote position, per its career portal.

The CEO and CTO positions that Johnson mentioned in his X post on Tuesday were not listed on Blueprint's career portal as of press time.

Earlier this year, The New York Times reported that Blueprint was facing problems with its finances. The story was published in March and was based on interviews with current and former employees as well as court records and internal documents.

The Times reported that Blueprint was missing its break-even point by at least $1 million a month. Johnson responded to the Times on several matters concerning Blueprint and its staff and products but did not address the company's financial situation.

Johnson told Wired that Blueprint wasn't in "some kind of emergency financial situation."

"We are break-even, and I've said that publicly many times," he added. "We've had profitable months; we've had loss months."