Bryan Johnson, the tech millionaire turned anti-aging crusader, is sounding the alarm over what he calls a forthcoming “hit piece” from The New York Times. The 45-year-old entrepreneur, infamous for swapping blood plasma with his teenage son in a bid to defy aging, took to social media this week to warn followers about the article, accusing the prestigious outlet of crafting a narrative to tarnish his reputation.
In a post on X, Johnson shared an email from an NYT reporter who contacted him and his colleagues for “fact-checking” questions ahead of the story’s publication. The reporter’s inquiry, he claimed, focused on his alleged
“weaponization of non-disclosure agreements over the years to cover a range of bad behavior.”
Johnson framed the move as an attempt to construct a damaging storyline rather than report objectively.
“Let’s take a look at what she’s trying to do,”
Johnson wrote, urging his audience to scrutinize the journalist’s intent.
The accusation comes amid ongoing scrutiny of Johnson’s unconventional lifestyle. Since launching “Project Blueprint” in 2021, he has spent an estimated $2 million annually on a regimen designed to reverse his biological age. The program includes a plant-based diet, dozens of daily supplements, rigorous exercise, and frequent medical tests. But it was his April 2023 blood plasma exchange with his 17-year-old son, Talmage, and 70-year-old father, Richard, that thrust him into the spotlight — and sparked ethical debates.
Performed at a Texas clinic, the procedure saw Johnson receive plasma from Talmage, while his own plasma was donated to his father. Johnson later called it a
“sweet and emotional experience,”
suggesting his son’s willing participation. However, with Talmage being a minor at the time, critics questioned the validity of his consent and the safety of such unproven treatments. The FDA has long warned against using young blood transfusions for anti-aging, citing a lack of evidence and potential risks.
Johnson abandoned the blood swaps by mid-2023 after detecting “no benefits” in his health metrics. Still, he touts other successes, claiming his regimen has given him the heart of a 37-year-old and the lungs of an 18-year-old — assertions met with skepticism from some scientists.
The NYT’s reported focus on NDAs may tie to a high-profile legal battle with Johnson’s ex-fiancée, Taryn Southern. In a 2023 lawsuit, Southern accused Johnson of abandoning her after her breast cancer diagnosis and pressuring her to sign an NDA to silence her story. The case settled in Johnson’s favor by December 2023, with Southern ordered to pay him over $584,000 in legal fees. Johnson has not publicly commented on the NYT’s specific allegations but has used the settlement to bolster his defense against past criticism.
A former tech mogul who sold his company Braintree to eBay for $800 million in 2013, Johnson has reinvented himself as a biohacking celebrity. His YouTube channel and social media platforms detail his journey, from consuming 111 supplements daily to recently ditching rapamycin — an experimental drug — after it caused infections. Yet, his pursuit of eternal youth has drawn as much fascination as it has controversy.
When reached Tuesday, the New York Times declined to comment on the upcoming story, citing its policy of not discussing articles in progress. Johnson, meanwhile, appears braced for a fight, using his platform to counter the narrative he expects preemptively.
“This isn’t about truth,”
he wrote on X.
“It’s about agenda.”
