The founder of Bulletproof Coffee plans to live to be 180 years old
Dave Asprey wants to hack death.
The Silicon Valley entrepreneur has spent over $300,000 on research trying to do so, using data to optimize his mind and body.
Asprey is the founder of the multimillion-dollar company selling Bulletproof Coffee, a blended drink with grass-fed unsalted butter and "Brain Octane," a trademarked oil extracted from coconuts.
As a guest on WNYC's podcast Note to Self on April 6, he explained that he aims to reach a high-performing state by any means necessary.
"The goal is to die when I want," he told host Manoush Zomorodi. "I'm planning to hit at least 180."
He believes the world isn't so far away. Just look at Lance Armstrong, he says.
"The only thing wrong that Lance Armstrong did is he didn't tell everyone he was doing it," Asprey says. "Do you know how much precious knowledge we would have as a species if Lance had published what he was doing?"
If athletes want to experiment with enhancers, he continues, they should publish the data. "We are wired to evolve," he says.
Asprey is part of the biohacking movement, which is made up of people (mostly men) who use data science to become "super-human." He practices intense workout regimens, tracks his sleep, and follows a strict diet without sugar, gluten, legumes, and dairy. More extreme biohackers have implanted microchips and magnets under their skin to link themselves with computers.
He says that Bulletproof Coffee, paired with his Bulletproof Diet, can boost energy, lead to weight loss, and even raise your IQ.
Asprey's claims have garnered skepticism. Earlier this year, Gizmodo's Brent Rose debunked most of the promises of Bulletproof Coffee, including that it will instantly burn fat and eliminate hunger. Asprey's research has likely operated on confirmation bias, Rose writes. The majority of studies Asprey sites were also done on rats and mice, which usually doesn't always apply to humans.
Still, he's optimistic.
"If we created a world where everyone is running at their optimum, it would be a really amazing world," Asprey says. "That's what I'm working to create."