It’s a big jump from email and search engines, but Google yesterday announced the formation of a new healthcare company called Calico - focused on confronting “the challenge of aging and associated diseases”. Google CEO Larry Page explained that “illness and aging affect all our families. With some longer term, moonshot thinking around healthcare and biotechnology, I believe we can improve millions of lives.”
Many journalists were quick to point out the possibilities of such a project. Time magazine released an exclusive cover story headlined “Google vs Death” and “Can Google solve death?”
It’s not just Google getting involved, though. Calico will be headed by Art Levinson, who also happens to the the chairman of Apple - this despite the fact the two companies are often perceived as rivals, especially in the mobile world. Apple’s CEO Tim Cook even weighed in for Google’s press release, observing “for too many of our friends and family, life has been cut short or the quality of their life is too often lacking. Art is one of the crazy ones who thinks it doesn’t have to be this way. There is no one better suited to lead this mission and I am excited to see the results.”
Immortality is of course an over-exaggeration of what Calico - which will remain separate from Google’s other research companies - will be looking to achieve, even if that is of course the improbable, distant end game for all healthcare research and development. Instead, they’ll be looking to extend lifespans and generally improve the quality of life for those of an advanced age.
Critics have already pointed out that the likes of Google will naturally benefit commercially from extended lifespans. That’s not to mention personal health benefits for all the CEOs and chairpeople who have gotten involved in the project - the likes of Tim Cook and Larry Page will understandably be eager to help steer their companies for as long as possible. There are also concerns about the socio-economic impacts: whether that’s the possibility of such advanced healthcare only being available to the wealthy, or the fact that it could significantly amplify the myriad of existing social issues related to an ageing society and overpopulation.
However, as Time points out, if these commercial giants with their seemingly infinite technical resources don’t conduct potentially revolutionary healthcare research, “who the hell else is going to do it?” Whatever happens, if Calico achieves their rather ambitious goals, many more people could be living to see their one hundredth birthday and well beyond.
