‘Indians, take action’: Bryan Johnson sparks debate after abrupt exit from Nikhil Kamath’s podcast over poor AQI

Tech millionaire Bryan Johnson is making headlines after abruptly leaving Indian billionaire Nikhil Kamath’s podcast due to poor air quality. His exit from the show and his post on X have reignited debate about India's poor AQI.  

Bryan Johnson, known as the ‘anti-ageing influencer’, made a strong remark about the severity of air pollution, warning Indians about its dire health consequences.

Suggesting that a solution to the poor air quality is more important for the health of the citizens of the country than curing deadly diseases like cancer, he wrote on X, “A firestorm of debate has ignited in India since I walked off a podcast due to the poor air quality.” 

He added, “Indians, organize yourselves and take action. You will do more to improve India’s health by cleaning up the air than by curing cancer.”

He attached a meme comparing himself wearing a mask at an AQI of 130 to Delhiites comfortably living in 300 AQI. To represent the people of Delhi, the meme used a scene from the film Taare Zameen Par. 

For context, an AQI between zero and 50 is considered good, between 51 and 100 satisfactory, 101 and 200 moderate, 201 and 300 poor, 301 and 400 very poor, and 401 and 500 severe.

Why did Bryan Johnson leave Nikhil Kamath's podcast?

Elaborating on his abrupt exit from Nikhil Kamath’s podcast, Bryan Johnson said it was getting difficult for him to breathe properly despite being indoors and having his own air purifier. Bryan Johnson appeared on the podcast wearing a mask and revealed that after just three days in India, he was suffering from a burning sensation in his throat and skin rashes.

Social media reaction

The debate over Bryan Johnson's comments quickly spread online.

A user stated, "this meme is gold regardless how do people in delhi survive is something really odd [sic]." 

Another user stated,"We know you are going to sell an Air Purifier next. During this trip you went to Shanghai which just so happens to be where the factories that build most cheap circular air purifiers are made. For most use cases the best Air Purifiers are made in South Korea, Coway, RabbitAir, Winix [sic]."

A third user remarked, “Thanks for reminding it through important platform. @nikhilkamathcio is already ALL IN with to support every possible initiative for climate tech startups. We hope to see better change in coming time [sic].” 

A fourth user replied, "Even if the government invested $1 billion into a "purification" project, it would still take years to build, and even more years for the effects to be seen [sic]."