5 ms·

Doing a couple Google/Twitter searches for this company it's pretty obvious it's coming out of the Berkeley-area EA/rationalist cluster, which automatically mak

Doing a couple Google/Twitter searches for this company it's pretty obvious it's coming out of the Berkeley-area EA/rationalist cluster, which automatically makes me pretty skeptical. These people don't exactly have a stellar track record of medical startups (recall all the hype around MetaMed, which delivered precisely nothing).

apsec112 3y ago
Longevity biotech came from a similar milieu and has been doing very well: https://english.elpais.com/economy-and-business/2023-07-17/the-boom-of-the-anti-aging-market-how-to-get-people-to-live-to-be-120-and-in-good-health.html https://english.elpais.com/economy-and-business/2023-07-17/t... (along with AI companies of course)
- bastawhiz 3y ago
  > Longevity biotech came from a similar milieu and has been doing very well They're doing well numerically when it comes to funding but is there anyone who has actually lived materially longer as a result of the field?
  - unsupp0rted 3y ago
    Ray Kurzweil will outlive us all, if taking 200 pills a day works: https://www.wired.com/2008/03/ff-kurzweil/#:~:text=He%20is%20confident%20that%20the,his%20astounding%20predictions%20come%20true.&text=Kurzweil%20does%20not%20believe%20in,to%20organize%20them%20all%20himself https://www.wired.com/2008/03/ff-kurzweil/#:~:text=He%20is%2....
    - luminouslow 3y ago
      I just cant take this seriously. Why are Americans so afraid of death?
      - apsec112 3y ago
        Almost everyone is afraid of death. Like, if you point a gun at someone, most people will feel fear. The main exceptions are people who are so sick with age-related diseases that they can't live happy lives anymore, but, of course, aging interventions would help with that.
      - gochi 3y ago
        I don't subscribe to his belief system, but logically if you enjoyed life, why wouldn't you want to prolong it?
        luminouslow 3y ago
        I have no problem with prolonging life but trying to become immortal is dumb (and you will fail) I will spend my time living instead of trying to avoid death.
      - mock-possum 3y ago
        I can’t that you seriously - what other fear could possibly be more valid? Death is the end of EVERYTHING for an individual. What could be worse than that? Everything else, we can figure out for ourselves, given time - pushing back death gives us more time.
        luminouslow 3y ago
        Death is the beginning and end of everything. There is more to existence than your ego. More time is fine but don't waste it by trying to avoid death (protip: you can't)
      - tashoecraft 3y ago
        I honestly can’t think of a dumber take. Longevity isn’t really about adding more years. No one wants to live another 10,20,30 more years how we currently do. But, if you can improve everyone’s health span, the amount of healthy, able bodies years, why wouldn’t you? It would be a great relief to our health care system. People can spend more time doing what they love without worrying about their body giving out on them. Being someone who lost two immediate family members before 30, I’d do anything to have had them live longer and healthy instead of watching the slow and fast decline of the human body.
    - sieste 3y ago
      That is, if he doesn't get clubbed with a barbell by Nassim Taleb. https://omniorthogonal.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-anti-kurzweil.html https://omniorthogonal.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-anti-kurzwei...
  - scarby2 3y ago
    We'll let you know in 20 to 30 years...
    - bastawhiz 3y ago
      If it takes 20-30 years to show any measure of success on what's supposed to be $600B of investment, it's a grift.
varelse 3y ago
[dead]
jefftk 3y ago
> These people don't exactly have a stellar track record of medical startups (recall all the hype around MetaMed, which delivered precisely nothing). I can only think of one other medical startup coming out of the Berkeley-area EA/rationalist cluster, which would be Equator Therapeutics. They're working on an anti-obesity drug, and my understanding is it's going pretty well. But maybe you have others in mind? (MetaMed came out of the NYC-area rationalist cluster and ~predates EA, and Alvea came out of the Boston-area EA group and shut down after their vaccine candidate gave disappointing results in human trials.)
timmytokyo 3y ago
Their org chart includes "Aella", who is apparently acting as their "media advisor" [0]. That tells you just about everything you need to know about this organization. [0] https://nitter.net/Aella_Girl/status/1705772547781140541 https://nitter.net/Aella_Girl/status/1705772547781140541
- kelnos 3y ago
  So... people who are into sex work, fetishism, etc. aren't capable of being competent professionals? Not saying this company is or is not legit, but this doesn't seem like a reasonable vector for criticism.
  - timmytokyo 3y ago
    Where did I say any of that? What a weird response.

apsec112 3y ago

Longevity biotech came from a similar milieu and has been doing very well: https://english.elpais.com/economy-and-business/2023-07-17/the-boom-of-the-anti-aging-market-how-to-get-people-to-live-to-be-120-and-in-good-health.html https://english.elpais.com/economy-and-business/2023-07-17/t... (along with AI companies of course)

bastawhiz 3y ago
> Longevity biotech came from a similar milieu and has been doing very well They're doing well numerically when it comes to funding but is there anyone who has actually lived materially longer as a result of the field?
- unsupp0rted 3y ago
  Ray Kurzweil will outlive us all, if taking 200 pills a day works: https://www.wired.com/2008/03/ff-kurzweil/#:~:text=He%20is%20confident%20that%20the,his%20astounding%20predictions%20come%20true.&text=Kurzweil%20does%20not%20believe%20in,to%20organize%20them%20all%20himself https://www.wired.com/2008/03/ff-kurzweil/#:~:text=He%20is%2....
  - luminouslow 3y ago
    I just cant take this seriously. Why are Americans so afraid of death?
    - apsec112 3y ago
      Almost everyone is afraid of death. Like, if you point a gun at someone, most people will feel fear. The main exceptions are people who are so sick with age-related diseases that they can't live happy lives anymore, but, of course, aging interventions would help with that.
    - gochi 3y ago
      I don't subscribe to his belief system, but logically if you enjoyed life, why wouldn't you want to prolong it?
      - luminouslow 3y ago
        I have no problem with prolonging life but trying to become immortal is dumb (and you will fail) I will spend my time living instead of trying to avoid death.
    - mock-possum 3y ago
      I can’t that you seriously - what other fear could possibly be more valid? Death is the end of EVERYTHING for an individual. What could be worse than that? Everything else, we can figure out for ourselves, given time - pushing back death gives us more time.
      - luminouslow 3y ago
        Death is the beginning and end of everything. There is more to existence than your ego. More time is fine but don't waste it by trying to avoid death (protip: you can't)
    - tashoecraft 3y ago
      I honestly can’t think of a dumber take. Longevity isn’t really about adding more years. No one wants to live another 10,20,30 more years how we currently do. But, if you can improve everyone’s health span, the amount of healthy, able bodies years, why wouldn’t you? It would be a great relief to our health care system. People can spend more time doing what they love without worrying about their body giving out on them. Being someone who lost two immediate family members before 30, I’d do anything to have had them live longer and healthy instead of watching the slow and fast decline of the human body.
  - sieste 3y ago
    That is, if he doesn't get clubbed with a barbell by Nassim Taleb. https://omniorthogonal.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-anti-kurzweil.html https://omniorthogonal.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-anti-kurzwei...
- scarby2 3y ago
  We'll let you know in 20 to 30 years...
  - bastawhiz 3y ago
    If it takes 20-30 years to show any measure of success on what's supposed to be $600B of investment, it's a grift.

varelse 3y ago

[dead]

jefftk 3y ago

> These people don't exactly have a stellar track record of medical startups (recall all the hype around MetaMed, which delivered precisely nothing). I can only think of one other medical startup coming out of the Berkeley-area EA/rationalist cluster, which would be Equator Therapeutics. They're working on an anti-obesity drug, and my understanding is it's going pretty well. But maybe you have others in mind? (MetaMed came out of the NYC-area rationalist cluster and ~predates EA, and Alvea came out of the Boston-area EA group and shut down after their vaccine candidate gave disappointing results in human trials.)

timmytokyo 3y ago

Their org chart includes "Aella", who is apparently acting as their "media advisor" [0]. That tells you just about everything you need to know about this organization. [0] https://nitter.net/Aella_Girl/status/1705772547781140541 https://nitter.net/Aella_Girl/status/1705772547781140541

kelnos 3y ago
So... people who are into sex work, fetishism, etc. aren't capable of being competent professionals? Not saying this company is or is not legit, but this doesn't seem like a reasonable vector for criticism.
- timmytokyo 3y ago
  Where did I say any of that? What a weird response.