Peter Diamandis, a renowned futurist and entrepreneur, has spent the past two decades evangelizing a vision of an "abundant future" driven by exponential technologies that will lengthen our lives. In a recent conversation, Diamandis shared his optimistic forecasts and data-backed arguments that technology has already lifted billions out of poverty and improved global living standards. He also discussed his views on longevity and aging, including his concept of "longevity escape velocity."

Diamandis, who has founded organizations like the XPRIZE Foundation and Singularity University, believes that we are on the cusp of a healthspan revolution driven by converging technologies such as AI, computation, sensors, and single-cell sequencing. He argues that these technologies are helping us understand why we age and how to slow, stop, and potentially reverse it. Diamandis cites the concept of longevity escape velocity, which suggests that for every year that you're alive, science and medicine are extending your lifespan by a certain amount of time. He believes that we will hit longevity escape velocity sometime in the next decade, and if that's the case, it's crucial to be in good health to take advantage of it.

When asked about access to healthcare and the concern that longevity is only for the wealthy, Diamandis emphasized that the basics of longevity, such as diet, sleep, and exercise, are free and available to everyone. He also highlighted the importance of mindset, citing that optimists live 15% longer than pessimists. However, he acknowledged that advanced testing and medications may require access to money. Diamandis is invested in companies working on epigenetic reprogramming, which he believes will become cheap and available to most people in the near future.

Diamandis has launched a Healthspan XPRIZE, a $111 million competition that challenges teams to demonstrate the ability to reverse functional aging in cognition, immune, and muscle in populations aged 60 to 80. He believes that this competition will drive innovation and progress in the field of longevity. When asked about Bryan Johnson's approach to longevity at Blueprint, Diamandis differentiated his own approach as a large-scale global competition with hundreds of different approaches, whereas Johnson's approach is more individualized and experimental.

Diamandis' vision for an abundant future is not without its critics, who argue that his techno-utopian vision overlooks growing inequality and systemic imbalances. However, his data-backed arguments and optimistic forecasts have garnered a significant following. As the conversation around longevity and aging continues to evolve, Diamandis' insights and initiatives will undoubtedly play a significant role in shaping the future of healthcare and technology.

To hear more from Diamandis, including his thoughts on Elon Musk and his health scanning company with Tony Robbins, listen to the full conversation here.