‘To them, ageing is a technical problem that can, and will, be fixed’: how the rich and powerful plan to live for ever

Imagine you’re the leader of one of the most powerful nations in the world. You have everything you could want at your disposal: power, influence, money. But, the problem is, your time at the top is fleeting. I’m not talking about the prospect of a coup or a revolution, or even a democratic election: I’m talking about the thing even more certain in life than taxes. I’m talking about death.

In early September, China’s Xi Jinping and Russia’s Vladimir Putin were caught on mic talking about strategies to stay young. “With the development of biotechnology, human organs can be continuously transplanted, and people can live younger and younger, and even achieve immortality,” Putin said via an interpreter to Xi. “There’s a chance,” he continued, “of also living to 150 [years old].” But is this even possible, and what would it mean for the world if the people with power were able to live for ever?

Over the centuries, we have used ever more sophisticated technology to heal ourselves into unprecedented longevity. In the 20th century, it was innovations in...