Creating The LRF: For Bryan Johnson

C R E AT I N G
THE LRF
FOR BRYAN JOHNSON
In 1956 Robert Heinlein published his science fiction
novel Time for the Stars. It introduced the Long Range
Foundation (LRF), whose coat of arms read, “Bread
Cast Upon the Waters,” and whose charter headed,
“Dedicated to the Welfare of Our Descendants.”
LRF invested in projects for the benefit of humankind that were
so speculative and long term that no government or corporation
would touch them. Bread cast upon the waters, however, returned
seven hundred fold. LRF made “embarrassing amounts of money.”
As a nonprofit, they had to reinvest it. More long-term projects
were funded, and even more staggering amounts were returned.
An effort equivalent to the Long Range Foundation doesn’t
exist on a multi-billion dollar scale. What might it look like
to create it, not as a sole institution, but a shared platform?
“There is a remarkable telescoping in of vision and
an unwillingness to make long-term bets.”
V INT CER F
Challenges to our future surround us. What remains undervalued
are two of the best tools to overcome them: long-term thinking
and breakthrough innovation. Many of our ecosystems have been
infected by short termism and small-mindedness, especially in
the U.S. – from Washington to Wall Street to Silicon Valley.
Breakthroughs demand bravery. They demand exploring the unknown,
betting on improbables, and accepting short-term losses. They require
valuing meddlesome misfits who may be wrong but might be right. They
require both catalysts and explorers shouldering risks for the rest of us.
CATALYST EXPLORER
THOMAS H. HUXLEY CHARLES DARWIN

Defender Theory of natural selection
Such people are rare. We need more of them taking long shots to
advance our prospects. More of them investing in the unfamiliar.
CATALYSTS EXPLORERS
MARCEL GROSSMAN ALBERT EINSTEIN

Mentor & Defender Theory of relativity
ROCKEFELLER FOUNDATION ROSALIND FRANKLIN ET AL.

Funder Foundations of molecular biology
MACARTHUR FOUNDATION MACARTHUR FELLOWSHIP

Funder No-strings funding for five years
CATALYSTS EXPLORERS
STEVE JURVETSON ELON MUSK

Defender & Funder Tesla Motors, SpaceX, SolarCity
MIYOUNG CHUN BRAIN INITIATIVE

Coordinator (Kavli Foundation) Mapping the human brain
THIEL FOUNDATION BREAKOUT LABS

Mentor & Funder High-risk, high-impact ventures
And now, you have launched the OS Fund,
noting the importance of focusing on what
“really matters to the future of humankind.”
CIV ILIZAT IO NA L
CO MPET ENCE
CIV IL I Z ATI O N AL
CAPABI L I TY
Imagine if there were 100 funds like yours, each committing

$100 million or more across multiple long shots on hard
problems, informed by OS-level thinking. Even if only
1% succeed, the successes would transform society.
This is how the LRF could be realized: a global network
sharing bounded risks to gain exposure to profound
gains, where the impact accrues across humanity.
A global network focusing where few are – on the right of the line:
SMALL CU BE BIG C U B E
Short Here Big Here

Small Now Long Now
Simple Complex
Low Risk High Risk
Local Impact Global Impact
Investors and philanthropists would direct their capital
as they see fit. The network they form, though, would
accelerate their respective learning and opportunities.
During the OS Fund launch, you noted: “I think the winds
will shift. There will be a shift in the kinds of things people
aspire to do. Funding and supporting hard problems will
become cool in a company in a couple of years.”
To hasten that shift, a founding group could be brought
together who would collectively attract more people
and funds toward their shared aspiration.
Founders could include those who have made a capital commitment
similar to your own to 10X+ science, foresight, and innovation.
ELI & EDYE BROAD BILL & MELINDA GATES FRED KAVLI
VINOD KHOSLA LARRY & SERGEY ELON MUSK
DENNY SANFORD JIM & MARILYN SIMONS PETER THIEL

In addition, the group could be joined by facilitators
uniquely suited to growing the community, including:
President Clinton, Peter Diamandis, Chris Anderson
(TED), and Klaus Schwab (World Economic Forum).
Finally, a shared platform could represent the community,
focused on a narrow scope of activities, such as:
DINNERS PROFILES
Members inviting 6-10 peers to Touchstone artifacts to tell each
their home to discuss the project. member’s story and raise allure.
100
x
$100M
WEBSITE COMMUNITY
Background, perspectives, Advancing breakthrough science,
resources, media, FAQ, et al. foresight, and innovation.
If this resonates, we’d like to discuss developing a full
proposal on how the OS Fund could help create the LRF.
C O NTA C T:
Tyler Emerson
(650) 353-6063
[email protected]
New Organ | Long Philanthropy
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“Our greatest responsibility is to be good ancestors.”
JONAS SALK

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C R E AT I N G

THOMAS H. HUXLEY CHARLES DARWIN

MARCEL GROSSMAN ALBERT EINSTEIN

ROCKEFELLER FOUNDATION ROSALIND FRANKLIN ET AL.

MACARTHUR FOUNDATION MACARTHUR FELLOWSHIP

STEVE JURVETSON ELON MUSK

MIYOUNG CHUN BRAIN INITIATIVE

THIEL FOUNDATION BREAKOUT LABS

Imagine if there were 100 funds like yours, each committing

Short Here Big Here

VINOD KHOSLA LARRY & SERGEY ELON MUSK

DENNY SANFORD JIM & MARILYN SIMONS PETER THIEL

Design by Doorstep Studios

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