Commonly expressed opinions about longevity:

■ Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal tweeted a provocative “gravity-ageing hypothesis” suggesting that gravity pulling blood may be a primary driver of human ageing and that regularly inverting the body could slow the process.

■ They pointed out two game-changers - ability to measure biological age through advanced biomarkers and not just chronological age and artificial intelligence that can now analyse several  data points.

■ A startup entrepreneur emphasized that there is a clear distinction between longevity and desire for disease free lifespan.

■ A neurologist questioned why people and species on the same planet age so differently if gravity were the main driver of ageing.

From Jeff Bezos and Sam Altman pouring hundreds of millions into secretive anti-ageing labs to Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal tweeting that “hanging upside down” could reverse ageing because gravity pulls blood downwards, the business of living longer has suddenly become the hottest conversation in global boardrooms and Indian living rooms alike.

What was once dismissed as fringe science fiction is now attracting some of the largest cheques in biotech history. Altos Labs, backed by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, is already valued at close to $3 billion — one of the best-funded biotech start-ups ever. OpenAI chief Sam Altman has personally invested $180 million into Retro Biosciences, a company chasing a ten-year leap in human lifespan. Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin continue to fund Calico, their ultra-secretive “moonshot” unit dedicated to solving ageing itself.

On the consumer side, American tech entrepreneur Bryan Johnson has become the poster boy of extreme biohacking. The 47-year-old spends $2 million annually on a regime that includes eating the same food at the same time every day and tracking over 200 biomarkers — all in an attempt to “age backwards.” Johnson made headlines in India earlier this year when he abruptly ended an interview with Zerodha co-founder Nithin Kamath in a Delhi studio, complaining that the indoor AQI of 130 was “destroying” his anti-ageing protocol and giving him rashes within minutes.

The latest spark came yesterday when Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal tweeted a provocative “gravity-ageing hypothesis” from his research venture, Continue Research. Goyal suggested that gravity pulling blood downwards may be a primary driver of human ageing and that regularly inverting the body could slow the process. The internet exploded — some called it groundbreaking citizen science, others labelled it satire or wellness influencer marketing.

A leading startup funder opined that the ultra-wealthy are naturally drawn to the ultimate luxury — more time to enjoy their success. “Once you have amassed significant wealth, the next frontier is extending the timeline in which you can enjoy it,” he said. He pointed out two game-changers in the last five years- the ability to measure biological age through advanced biomarkers rather than just chronological age, Artificial intelligence that can now analyse thousands of data points to create personalised interventions targeting the 12 recognised “hallmarks of ageing.”

A co-founder of a longevity startup stressed the distinction that is reshaping the industry. He was of the opinion that these days we are not just chasing lifespan — how many years you are alive — but health-span: how many of those years are lived disease-free, pill-free, and at peak vitality. He noted that India, the diabetes capital of the world, sees many people suffer chronic illnesses for the last 15–20 years of life. Start-ups like his use epigenetic clocks, gut microbiome analysis, continuous glucose monitoring, and hyper-personalised nutrition, exercise, and sleep protocols to detect and reverse early damage long before symptoms appear.

An eminent neurologist however remained measured. Stating that science is about asking the right questions, he questioned why people and species on the same planet age so differently if gravity were the main driver of ageing. He welcomed hypotheses but insisted they must survive rigorous testing. On biohacks, he observed a universal human tendency: He said that while everyone loves shortcuts, people will always prefer a pill or inversion table over daily exercise — that market will never disappear. But real progress, he said, comes from proven habits and early disease detection.

While experts agreed that novelty-driven fads (cold plunges, red-light therapy, stem-cell tourism, and now “anti-gravity inversion”) will continue grabbing headlines, sustainable growth will come from affordable at-home diagnostics and biological age testing, AI-driven personalised wellness coaching and evidence-backed therapies once regulators approve them.

Investors predict the Indian longevity and health-span market will grow from a few billion dollars today to tens of billions within a decade — first serving the affluent, then trickling down as costs plummet, just as smartphones and LED bulbs once did.