Jeff Bezos, the world's richest man who owns Amazon, Google founder Larry Page and investor Peter Thiel reportedly intensively invests in technology that can slow down aging, maybe even live forever. Will such technology become a monopoly of the elite?
As reported, Bezos is reportedly investing in a new company called Altos Lab that is pursuing that ambition. Previously, Bezos has also invested in Unity Biotechnology, a company that is looking for drugs to fight aging.
It is possible that such technology will actually be useful. "Technology that was initially only affordable for the rich will usually become more widely available over time," said Stefan Schubert, a researcher at the London School of Economics.
For example, smartphones and airline tickets. It could be that technology to inhibit aging will be within reach of many people.
"Early adopters tend to pay more and take higher risks than the mass market, so if such therapy starts out expensive or risky, that's the way it is," says Jaan Tallinn, co-founder of Skype.
Such technology may be able to cure diseases that lurk in the elderly such as heart disease or dementia. "Prolonging life in the near future may not be possible, but identifying aging disorders is more likely," said Sean O Heigeartaigh of Cambridge University.
However, of course there are cons from ethical issues to the impact on the Earth if more humans live long or even live eternally. This academic, for example, thinks it would be better to use the money of the rich people to tackle climate change. "There's no point living forever on a dying Earth," said Jon Crowcroft of Cambridge University.