Behind the scenes of this tech millionaire’s ‘Don’t Die’ summit as extreme biohacking becomes a dominant wellness trend

Alexa Mikhail

<p>On Saturday, hundreds of people swore off Manhattan’s bottomless brunch scene to attend an all-day longevity summit to learn the hacks of living longer.</p><div class="paywall-selector"></div><div class="paywall">



<p>Attendees of the $349 “<a href="https://www.dontdiesummit.com/">Don’t Die Summit</a>” at the west side’s Javits Center tried red light therapy, discovered their biological age, and learned from the self-proclaimed most measured man in history about how to, simply put, not die.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Tech millionaire turned biohacker <a href="https://fortune.com/well/article/bryan-johnson-travel-food/">Bryan Johnson</a>, the star of the recent <a href="https://fortune.com/well/2025/01/10/bryan-johnson-netflix-documentary-2-million-live-forever-hungry/"><em>Netflix </em>documentary</a>, “<a href="https://fortune.com/well/article/bryan-johnson-netflix-filmmaker-live-longer-habits/">Don&#8217;t Die: The Man Who Wants to Live Forever</a>,” took center stage to deliver a sermon-like plea to an eager crowd about the power of health optimization to extend life. Many walking around the center’s “Longevity Amusement Park” outside the main stage—a conference area that housed over 20 booths, selling supplements, skin care, and high-tech aging hacks—donned a black t-shirt with “Don’t Die” written in bold. Someone dressed as the Grim Reaper paraded around, too. (It’s unclear if this was part of the programming or a guest).&nbsp;</p>



<p>Back on stage, Johnson was joined by his doctor Dr. Mike Mallin to review his biomarkers live. Johnson shared his protocol, which includes 4:30 a.m. wake-ups, an 18-hour fast, a diet of 130 grams of daily protein, no cheat days, and a strict calorie count with the motto that “every calorie fights for its life.” Johnson is famous for taking dozens of supplements daily, testing his body regularly, and taking extreme measures in pursuit of becoming as&nbsp;biologically young as possible.</p>


<figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-src="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/IMG_4314.jpg?w=768&#038;h=1024" alt="" class="lazyload wp-image-4151561" style="width:488px;height:auto" src="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/IMG_4314.jpg?w=768&#038;h=1024" width="768" height="1024" original-width="3024" original-height="4032"><figcaption>“I think people are moving further away from general wellness and more into trackable biohacking wellness as a general category, so people know and can see results and track their progress.&#8221;
</figcaption><div class="image-credit">Alexa Mikhail</div></figure>



<p>At one point during the summit, an image of a silhouette of a middle-aged man appeared on the screen behind him, with the quote, “Never let your mind decide,” as Johnson spoke about the merits of resisting natural human desire.&nbsp;</p>



<p>“The broader picture here at ‘Don&#8217;t Die’ is we are at war with death. We are trying to eliminate death from our environment,” Johnson said, getting extra enthusiastic at one point when sharing his plan to test the foods most commonly consumed in this country for processing, heavy metals, and other chemicals. </p>



<p>He most passionately decried Lay’s sour cream and onion chips as a symbol of the flaws of the modern food industry, and says he wants to elicit donations to test foods to see whether they qualify as “Don’t Die certified.” When announcing this, he got an immediate round of applause from the audience. How this will be done is unclear.&nbsp;</p>



<p>For lunch, attendees were offered one of Johnson’s staple meals, consisting of quinoa and vegetables. Guests could also receive a palate cleanser of Johnson&#8217;s “Longevity Mix,” a bright pink bitter liquid concoction of “13 active ingredients to support energy, metabolism, recovery, &amp; vitality,” per his website. (Johnson’s company Blueprint sells $49 Longevity Mix, $325 speed of aging tests, and other products, many of which were for sale at the event).&nbsp;</p>



<p>It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Johnson, who has gone viral for undergoing a plasma transfusion from his teenage son and admits to loving being in the spotlight as the industry’s guinea pig, has many skeptics. For one, Johnson undergoes protocols that are not widely tested nor approved by the FDA. </p>



<p>Nonetheless, the event attracted both fans and doubters.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Robert Weiss, a New Yorker in his 50s, heard about the event through word-of-mouth and came curious about tech and products to optimize his health. People are often dissuaded from “woo woo” products that may have merit, he says. “I am trying to get myself to accept it more,” he said, referencing stem cell therapy as an age-rejuvenation technique. Johnson posted on <a href="https://fortune.com/company/youtube/" target="_blank">YouTube</a> in October about his trip to The <a href="https://blueprint.bryanjohnson.com/blogs/news/i-injected-my-joints-with-300-million-stem-cells?srsltid=AfmBOoqya5yHq2bHXl5F3koPhc1ivlBH3iZQ0schDekyZe-24nkcJobq">Bahamas</a> where he was injected with 300 million stem cells as part of a clinical trial with the company Cellcolabs, which is GMP certified. (Stem cell therapy is not approved in the U.S. for longevity and the <a href="https://www.nih.gov/about-nih/what-we-do/science-health-public-trust/perspectives/putting-stem-cell-based-therapies-context">National Institutes of Health</a> have warned about clinics that haven’t had proper testing for efficacy).&nbsp;</p>



<p>Brystal Rosensweig, a fractional CMO for wellness and beauty brands who is based in New York City, attended the event for both business and pleasure. “The space is fascinating, and I also feel like it’s difficult for consumers to navigate what’s [real] and what’s snake oil,” she tells <em>Fortune</em> at the event, adding she is more trusting when companies can provide scientific studies that show their products’ efficacy.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Still, she knows that the booming longevity market is not going away. According to a report from <a href="https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2024/12/12/2996350/0/en/Anti-Aging-Market-Expected-to-Reach-USD-2-29-Billion-by-2032-Growing-at-a-CAGR-of-7-6-From-2024-2032-Introspective-Market-Research.html">Introspective Market Research</a>, the anti-aging market is predicted to reach nearly $2.3 billion by 2032.&nbsp;</p>



<p>“I think people are moving further away from general wellness and more into trackable biohacking wellness as a general category, so people know and can see results and track their progress,” Rosensweig said.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Similarly, venture capitalist Pete Mathias says he attended because he’s looking for “cultural movements” worth his investments.&nbsp;</p>



<p class="has-text-align-left has-background" style="background-color: #e3f3f1; padding: 15px;"><em><strong>Read more from </strong></em><strong>Fortune<br /></strong>
<li>This gastroenterologist says probiotics are &#8216;a waste of money.&#8217; <a href="https://fortune.com/well/article/probiotics-bloating-gut-health-fiber-diet/?itm_campaign=internal-links&#038;itm_medium=block&#038;itm_source=internal-links&#038;itm_content=link_1&#038;itm_term=well">Here’s what you should be doing instead</a></li>
<li><a href="https://fortune.com/well/article/4-ms-successful-aging-expert/?itm_campaign=internal-links&#038;itm_medium=block&#038;itm_source=internal-links&#038;itm_content=link_2&#038;itm_term=well">These 4 M&#8217;s are the key to successful aging</a>, expert reveals</li>
<li>Kate Hudson, mom of 3, admits that &#8216;parenting is hard.&#8217; But <a href="https://fortune.com/well/2025/03/10/kate-hudson-parenting-lesson-mom-of-3/?itm_campaign=internal-links&#038;itm_medium=block&#038;itm_source=internal-links&#038;itm_content=link_3&#038;itm_term=well">learning this important lesson can help</a>, she says</li>
<li><a href="https://fortune.com/well/article/happiest-cities-in-america-2025/?itm_campaign=internal-links&#038;itm_medium=block&#038;itm_source=internal-links&#038;itm_content=link_4&#038;itm_term=well">These are the happiest cities in America</a>, according to new research</li>
<li>What’s your VO2 max? The <a href="https://fortune.com/well/article/whats-your-vo2-max-fitness-running/?itm_campaign=internal-links&#038;itm_medium=block&#038;itm_source=internal-links&#038;itm_content=link_5&#038;itm_term=well">most important health metric you’re probably not aware of</a> shows how fit you really are</li>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p class="has-text-align-left has-background" style="background-color: #e3f3f1;"></p>


<p>“There&#8217;s a ton of breakthrough visions. So certainly, what&#8217;s been surprising is the presence of hard science alongside beauty science,” he said. “There’s not many products on the planet that respond to things that every single person cares about, and death is one of those things that every single person cares about.”&nbsp;</p>



<p>And there’s no age limit for being interested in living longer.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Twenty-nine-year-old Anastasia Liakhina came because she loves Johnson’s energy on social media. “I am thinking about how to make my body healthy, how to eat healthy, and how to keep my body young and beautiful,” she tells <em>Fortune</em>.&nbsp;</p>



<p>The day wrapped up with a 3:30 p.m. dance party, which Johnson referred to as a “health rave.” After all, he hits the hay early.&nbsp;</p>



<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DGOYM6ryyPP/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DGOYM6ryyPP/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> <div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;"><svg width="50px" height="50px" viewBox="0 0 60 60" version="1.1" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd"><g transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)" fill="#000000"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style=" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"><div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style=" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DGOYM6ryyPP/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Bryan Johnson (@bryanjohnson_)</a></p></div></blockquote>
<script async src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script></div>

Health nuts and skeptics alike gathered for a day of learning not to die.

<strong><u>For you:</u></strong>
<ul>
 	<li><strong>The Well Adjusted newsletter</strong>: <a href="https://www.fortune.com/newsletters/well-adjusted?&itm_source=fortune&itm_medium=article_tout&itm_campaign=welladjusted">Sign up</a> to get simple strategies to work smarter and live better, in your inbox three times a week. </li>
</ul>
<br><br><br>

F-Search

Longevity

Aging Well

Behind the scenes of this tech millionaire’s ‘Don’t Die’ summit as extreme biohacking becomes a dominant wellness trend | Fortune Well

These 4 M’s are the key to successful aging, expert reveals

/well/article/4-ms-successful-aging-expert/

Silicon Valley’s $7,500 a year biohacking clinic co-founded by Peter Attia is now betting on the wealthy elite of New York City

/well/article/peter-attia-biohacking/

Ani Freedman

The workout routine that leaves this 82-year-old fitness instructor feeling like he’s 50

/well/article/workout-strength-aging-longevity-older-adults/

Beth Greenfield

Middle aged woman dressed in white looking into a full-length mirror

Eating disorders in middle age are ‘way more common than people think,’ says expert. 3 women share their stories

/well/article/eating-disorders-midlife-women-menopause-shame-secrecy/

KFF Health News

Home improvements can help people age independently. But Medicare seldom picks up the bill

/well/article/home-improvements-aging-independence-medicare-costs/

Richard Eisenberg

If you’re not happy with your Medicare Advantage plan, experts offer these tips to find better benefits

/well/article/medicare-advantage-plan-find-better-benefits/

Fortune Editors

Fortune WELL is your source to living well and working smarter by maintaining balance in your mind, family, health, and life.

Health and wellness, tips, news, and advice

Uncategorized

homepage

Fortune Well

Aging Well – two hands holding each other

Family

Health

Life

Mind - illustration of the surface of the brain

Mind

This gastroenterologist says probiotics are 'a waste of money.' Here’s what you should be doing instead

https://fortune.com/well/article/probiotics-bloating-gut-health-fiber-diet/?itm_source=parsely-api

Anna Edney

Bloomberg

L'Oreal recalls acne treatment on cancer-linked chemical

https://fortune.com/well/2025/03/10/loreal-recall-effaclar-duo-acne-treatment-cancer-linked-chemical-benzene/?itm_source=parsely-api

These are the 10 happiest cities in America, according to new research

https://fortune.com/well/article/happiest-cities-in-america-2025/?itm_source=parsely-api

Kristine Gill

4 daily habits of truly happy people

https://fortune.com/well/article/happiness-daily-habits/?itm_source=parsely-api

Here’s a look into Silicon Valley's ‘executive psychedelic slumber parties’ that cost over $3,000

https://fortune.com/well/article/silicon-valley-executives-psychedelics-ketamine/?itm_source=parsely-api

Elizabeth Husserl

Your family’s relationship with money affects your spending decisions. How to transform your 'financial DNA'

https://fortune.com/well/article/wealth-mindset-family-money-trauma/?itm_source=parsely-api