This topic is significant as it raises ethical questions about the pursuit of immortality by powerful leaders, potentially impacting society and governance.

My novel explores the consequences of extreme longevity. Meanwhile, Putin and Xi are pondering immortality in real lifeI was in bed scrolling on my phone when I read the headline: Hot mic catches Xi and Putin <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/sep/03/hot-mic-catches-vladimir-putin-xi-jinping-discussing-organ-transplants-immortality">discussing organ transplants and immortality</a>. It took me a long time to get to sleep after that. Not yet, I thought. I pride myself on my prescience, but I wasn’t ready for the future I had imagined to arrive so soon.Since 2017, I’ve been thinking about the implications of longevity research, sketching out possible futures – the shifts in society, the complications and subcultures. This year I published the result of my thought experiment, <a href="https://guardianbookshop.com/who-wants-to-live-forever-9781840918458/">Who Wants to Live Forever</a>, a speculative literary novel. It follows Yuki and Sam, a couple at a crossroads at the same time that a new drug, called Yareta – which extends the human lifespan by 200 years and preserves youth – becomes available. Sam takes it, Yuki doesn’t, and the novel follows the fallout as the world changes around them. The story ends in 2039. Naively, considering the billions being poured into longevity research by the likes of <a href="https://www.wsj.com/health/wellness/billionaires-longevity-health-04dd205c">Peter Thiel</a>, <a href="https://www.technologyreview.com/2021/09/04/1034364/altos-labs-silicon-valleys-jeff-bezos-milner-bet-living-forever/">Jeff Bezos</a> and <a href="https://time.com/6315607/bryan-johnsons-quest-for-immortality/">Bryan Johnson</a> (subject of this year’s Netflix documentary <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/jan/02/bryan-johnson-documentary-dont-die-netflix">Don’t Die</a>), I thought that was how long it might take for my fiction to become reality.Hanna Thomas Uose is a writer and strategist. She is the author of <a href="https://guardianbookshop.com/who-wants-to-live-forever-9781840918458/">Who Wants to Live Forever</a> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/sep/13/autocrat-tech-live-for-ever-vladimir-putin-xi-jinping">Continue reading...</a>

هذا الموضوع مهم لأنه يثير أسئلة أخلاقية حول السعي للخلود من قبل القادة الأقوياء، مما قد يؤثر على المجتمع والحكم.

يتناول المقال تداعيات طول العمر المفرط كما تم استكشافه في رواية، مع تسليط الضوء على المناقشات الحقيقية بين بوتين وشي حول الخلود وزرع الأعضاء.

Este tema es significativo ya que plantea preguntas éticas sobre la búsqueda de la inmortalidad por parte de líderes poderosos, lo que podría afectar a la sociedad y la gobernanza.

El artículo discute las implicaciones de la longevidad extrema, como se explora en una novela, mientras destaca las discusiones reales entre Putin y Xi sobre la inmortalidad y los trasplantes de órganos.

Ce sujet est important car il soulève des questions éthiques sur la quête de l'immortalité par des dirigeants puissants, ce qui pourrait avoir un impact sur la société et la gouvernance.

L'article aborde les implications de la longévité extrême, comme exploré dans un roman, tout en soulignant les discussions réelles entre Poutine et Xi sur l'immortalité et les transplantations d'organes.

The article discusses the implications of extreme longevity as explored in a novel, while highlighting real-life discussions between Putin and Xi on immortality and organ transplants.

Autocrats and tech bros want to live for ever. Here’s how bleak that future could be | Hanna Thomas Uose

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