Bryan Johnson, the millionaire entrepreneur who reportedly spends nearly $2 million daily on his “anti-aging” project, is facing accusations of using non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) to silence employees at his startup, Blueprint, regarding his strange behavior in the workplace.
Johnson, whose unorthodox attempts to turn back the clock led to the Netflix documentary Don't Die: The Man Who Wants to Live Forever, has been accused of roaming the office in scant attire or naked, and making improper remarks about sexual matters, such as erections, to his employees, according to a report in The New York Times.
This incendiary report came about nearly a month after Johnson stated that the New York Times was working on a "hit piece" against him. He stood by the signing of NDAs, describing them as being good for everyone involved. "By leaving out important context, like several legal decisions in my favor, she (the reporter) picks and chooses facts to mislead readers. This isn't good reporting; it's a pre-fabricated hit piece masquerading as reporting," he stated.
The anti-aging billionaire, who takes a strict health program consisting of 54 pills per day, shock therapy, and blood transfusions from his son, has also been accused of coercing his employees, contractors, and even his sex partners into signing confidentiality agreements.
Following the sale of his firm Braintree to PayPal in 2013, Johnson earned millions, which he has plowed into his research on reversing aging. His private life has also come under scrutiny, with the New York Times publishing that he divorced his wife, employed sex workers, and tested psychedelics and acid, according to interviews with 30 individuals.
Johnson started a brain tech company, Kernel, in 2016 and declined a chance to work with Elon Musk on a competing venture, which Musk went on to start as Neuralink. As Musk became more popular, Johnson wondered why he wasn't getting the same level of media attention and increasingly relied on NDAs. These contracts, which at times were 20 pages long, had a provision that demanded that employees agree to Johnson's wearing minimal attire or no undergarments at the workplace and being okay with discussing sexual topics, including erections.
Staff members also had to sign off that Johnson's conduct was not "unwelcome, offensive, humiliating, hostile, triggering, unprofessional, or abusive." Johnson would regularly stroll around the office in minimal attire and flirt with the predominantly female employees, leaving them feeling they could not complain because of the restrictive NDAs.
Jamie Contento, Johnson's former personal assistant before she quit Blueprint last year, alleged that she had complained to human resources regarding the work environment. Taryn Southern, Johnson's ex-fiancée, also sued him, alleging that he had terminated her from his firm Kernel after their breakup when she was receiving treatment for breast cancer. Johnson countersued and emerged victorious, with Southern being forced to pay him more than $584,000.
In reaction to the New York Times expose, Johnson contended that the piece tried to bring him down but was unsuccessful. "What was supposed to be a takedown ended up reading like a profile piece. They spent a year investigating, interviewed 30 people, including former fired staff, and used my ex as their star witness (who attempted to extort $9 million from me and failed). And still returned with nothing," he wrote on social media platform X.
Johnson has defended the NDAs as a reasonable and mutually beneficial practice. He has also accused the Times report of presenting a distorted account of events in order to follow a particular narrative. In his statement last month, Johnson elaborated that his life was in constant need of protection, and the NDAs were a way of setting definite boundaries and expectations.
Johnson earlier sent a threat to write about him in an actual "hit piece" answered questioning regarding his "abusive" and "unprofessional" office behavior and had this explanation to offer, "I share nudes online. I record nighttime erections. My team explicitly discusses semen quality. We create dank memes. Instead of making people stroll in blindfolded, we are upfront and clear about it in writing, no surprises.
He went on, "This is a fair practice to everyone involved, and it is in everyone's best interest. If one does not fit our culture, they can work elsewhere. Nobody is coerced into signing anything. The opt-in agreement is to make people aware and agree to the setting. It avoids confusion and misunderstandings."
The tech mogul claims he has lowered his biological age by 5.1 years through his diet, exercise program, and health tracking. His "Project Blueprint" entails numerous practices designed to reverse his epigenetic age, and he spends over $2 million every year on his anti-aging campaign.
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