Bryan Johnson, tech millionaire and anti-ageing advocate, decided to end an interview with Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath early. He took to X (formerly Twitter) to explain that while he was “having a great time” shooting for the podcast, he wasn’t comfortable due to the bad air quality in the room. He mentioned that the AQI inside the room was 130, despite an air purifier there.
Bryan Johnson Leaves Nikhil Kamath’s Podcast Early Due To Bad Air Quality
When in India, I did end this podcast early due to the bad air quality. @nikhilkamathcio was a gracious host and we were having a great time. The problem was that the room we were in circulated outside air which made the air purifier I’d brought with me ineffective.
Inside,… https://t.co/xTkpW567Xv
— Bryan Johnson /dd (@bryan_johnson) February 3, 2025
Bryan Johnson appeared in Nikhil Kamath’s podcast “WTF is” recently, along with other guests, and spoke about “where health and wellness are headed.” A few minutes into the conversation, Bryan asked his team to bring his face mask because of the “bad air quality” in the room. He later walked out of the interview citing poor air quality inside the room.
Many people posted several remarks about the incident. Later, Bryan took to X (formerly Twitter) to share his side of the story. He started by mentioning that Nikhil Kamath was a “gracious host” and he was having a nice conversation with everyone. “The real problem was that the room we were in circulated outside air which made the air purifier I’d brought with me ineffective. Inside, the AQI was 130 and PM2.5 was 75 µg/m³, which is equal to smoking 3.4 cigarettes for 24 hours of exposure,” he explained.
He further mentioned that it was his third day in India and the air pollution had already caused his skin to break out, rash, and even cause a burning sensation in his eyes and throat. According to him, “Air pollution has been so normalised in India that no one even notices anymore despite the science of its negative effects being well known.”
When he returned to the US, he pointed out that the country has its health issues. The biggest, according to him, was obesity. “42.4% of Americans are obese and because I was around it all the time, I had been mostly oblivious to it,” he said in the post. He also pointed out that “in many contexts, obesity is worse than air pollution in the long term.”
Here’s What Netizens Had To Say About This Incident
Bryan Johnson’s tweet about the reason why he left Nikhil Kamath’s interview early has earned a mixed reaction on the internet. Hundreds of people commented and shared their two cents on the entire matter. Many netizens said he needs to relax and “stop measuring the air quality everywhere.” Others asked for measures that can help improve the quality of air in India. On the other hand, many people agreed with his assessment of how lightly the issue of air pollution is treated in India. Here are some comments you cannot miss from this post.
Bro, just chill out. Stop measuring the air quality everywhere you go and start enjoying the place
— Rohit Sharma (@rohittales) February 3, 2025
Should have had the podcast in a smaller mountain city with clean air such as Shimla
— yajnadevam (@yajnadevam) February 3, 2025
With what you have stated “Inside, the AQI was 130 and PM2.5 was 75 µg/m³, which is equal to smoking 3.4 cigarettes for 24 hours of exposure” every Indian would have died by the age of 30 itself. Don’ over exaggerate!
— Meghnath 🩴 (@Meghnath_trader) February 3, 2025
I am glad Bryan is openly talking about this !!
The problem is that, instead of acknowledging this elephant in the room and trying to solve for it, Bryan will be labelled as an anti-India propaganda by the west …
— Akash Tiwari (@akashtiwari1007) February 3, 2025
in my completely (un)scientific way of living life, i’ve always been very liberal in terms of my exposure to germs and dirt (forgetting to wash hands after going out).
and I’ve come to believe that a certain amount of exposure to toxins and germs helps build resistance and…
— Siddarth (@SidP95) February 3, 2025
It is easier to address obesity than air pollution, imao. One is within our control, while the other is out of our hands. We can choose to eat healthy food, exercise, and get better sleep, but we can’t directly improve air quality.
— Shashank (@codepie_yt) February 3, 2025
Improve your immunity, Bryan Johnson. Add turmeric to your diet. It should help!
— The Curious Cat ♌ (@maitreyiology) February 4, 2025
Pollution, even though I got accustomed to it, was a major factor in my leaving Asia.
America has an obesity epidemic but its easier for one to avoid that then polluted air.
— Tom Howard (@_TomHoward) February 3, 2025
Environmental factors like air pollution, extreme weather, and allergens can affect anyone, regardless of how “optimized” your body is.
It just proves that external conditions can still impact you. I wonder are you still not immune to environmental conditions?
— Harsh Nankani (@karmikharsh) February 3, 2025
How can we as a country improve the air quality??? What all can be done for that???
— Rendil Morera (@apocryphal7) February 3, 2025
Thank God you didn’t visited Delhi!
Take care Bryan!— Rajat Agarwala (@RjtAg222) February 4, 2025
Normalization blinds us to systemic crises—be it air pollution in India or obesity in the U.S. Both stem from deep-rooted economic and political incentives, making solutions more about will than feasibility. The real question: why do societies accept preventable crises until they…
— Aryan Mangla (@Aryan_Mangla_) February 3, 2025
I love India
The people are incredibly welcoming and kind ( friends treat you like part of the family )
The food is great
The one thing that kills me is the air pollution.
— Miss Polygon 😈 🦇🔊 (@0xsachi) February 3, 2025
I love India and would like to live here. But every time I visit my hometown in NCR I am sick for days! It has become a gas chamber and people are not realising how bad it’ll be in upcoming years for future generations. 🥲
— Rohit Aggarwal | Bhai from Dubai🇦🇪 (@RohitxNexus) February 3, 2025
We need more people like you to speak about these issues. Unless and until the office bearers are put to shame on International level, these guys would not stop. They’ll sell & convert every bit of forest area in tourism areas like Goa to let some Delhi businesses build a resort.
— Ved (@Average_Googler) February 4, 2025
These are all fair points.
It’s impossible to enjoy India without becoming sick.
Delhi has the worst air quality in the world.
— Radio Cricket formerly AltCricket (@RadioCricket) February 3, 2025
What are your thoughts about this? Let us know in the comments.
Cover Image Courtesy: Instagram/nikhilkamathcio & YouTube/Nikhil Kamath
For more such snackable content, interesting discoveries and the latest updates on food, travel and experiences in your city, download the Curly Tales App. Download HERE. First Published: February 04, 2025 11:04 AM