Renowned tech entrepreneur and longevity enthusiast Bryan Johnson recently made headlines when he abruptly ended a podcast interview in India due to severe air pollution.
The American billionaire, known for his multimillion-dollar investments in health and anti-aging research, cited discomfort caused by the country’s air quality as the reason for leaving the recording session midway. Johnson had been invited to speak on “WTF is,” a podcast hosted by Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath, but had to cut the conversation short because of the poor air conditions inside the studio.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Johnson shared his experience, detailing how the studio air quality levels reached concerning levels. He explained that the room circulated outdoor air, rendering his personal air purifier ineffective. He stated, “Inside, the AQI was 130 and PM2.5 was 75 µg/m³—equivalent to smoking 3.4 cigarettes over 24 hours.” By the third day of his stay, he reported symptoms including skin rashes, throat irritation, and eye discomfort, attributing them to the high pollution levels.
When in India, I did end this podcast early due to the bad air quality. @nikhilkamathcio was a gracious host and we were having a great time. The problem was that the room we were in circulated outside air which made the air purifier I’d brought with me ineffective.
Inside,… https://t.co/xTkpW567Xv
— Bryan Johnson /dd (@bryan_johnson) February 3, 2025
The entrepreneur was particularly taken aback by how normalized poor air quality seemed among the local population. “People were jogging outside, babies were exposed from birth, and no one wore a mask,” he observed. Expressing concern, he questioned why India’s government had not declared air pollution a national emergency, stating that improving air quality would have a more significant impact on public health than curing all cancers.
Johnson’s remarks ignited widespread discussion on social media. While some users resonated with his concerns and called for urgent action, others dismissed his observations as exaggerated. One user wrote, “If air pollution was as bad as he says, no one in India would be alive past 30!” Others, however, saw his comments as a much-needed wake-up call, asking, “What can be done to tackle pollution in India’s urban centers?”
Upon returning to the U.S., Johnson reflected on how different societies normalize health crises, comparing India’s air pollution to America’s obesity epidemic. He remarked, “When I got back, I saw obesity everywhere—42.4% of Americans are obese. In many ways, obesity can be worse than air pollution long term.”
His statements have fueled conversations on the urgency of addressing environmental and public health issues, raising critical questions about both India’s air pollution crisis and global health concerns. Whether seen as alarmist or insightful, Johnson’s experience has once again put air quality and its long-term health impact in the spotlight.
