0:00:00.286,0:00:02.807 Chris Anderson: So I guess[br]what we're going to do is 0:00:02.807,0:00:05.268 we're going to talk about your life, 0:00:05.268,0:00:08.426 and using some pictures[br]that you shared with me. 0:00:08.426,0:00:11.375 And I think we should start[br]right here with this one. 0:00:11.375,0:00:13.743 Okay, now who is this? 0:00:14.423,0:00:19.492 Martine Rothblatt: This is me[br]with our oldest son Eli. 0:00:19.492,0:00:21.382 He was about age five. 0:00:21.382,0:00:23.495 This is taken in Nigeria 0:00:23.495,0:00:27.489 right after having taken[br]the Washington, D.C. bar exam. 0:00:27.489,0:00:31.064 CA: Okay. But this doesn't[br]really look like a Martine. 0:00:32.084,0:00:37.701 MR: Right. That was myself as a male,[br]the way I was brought up. 0:00:39.831,0:00:43.733 Before I transitioned from male[br]to female and Martin to Martine. 0:00:43.733,0:00:45.762 CA: You were brought up Martin Rothblatt. 0:00:45.762,0:00:46.807 MR: Correct. 0:00:46.807,0:00:51.431 CA: And about a year after this picture,[br]you married a beautiful woman. 0:00:51.431,0:00:53.947 Was this love at first sight?[br]What happened there? 0:00:53.947,0:00:55.757 MR: It was love at the first sight. 0:00:55.757,0:01:00.170 I saw Bina at a discotheque[br]in Los Angeles, 0:01:00.170,0:01:03.653 and we later began living together, 0:01:03.653,0:01:07.484 but the moment I saw her,[br]I saw just an aura of energy around her. 0:01:07.484,0:01:09.156 I asked her to dance. 0:01:09.156,0:01:12.058 She said she saw an aura[br]of energy around me. 0:01:12.058,0:01:15.753 I was a single male parent.[br]She was a single female parent. 0:01:15.753,0:01:18.188 We showed each other[br]our kids' pictures, 0:01:18.188,0:01:22.298 and we've been happily married[br]for a third of a century now. 0:01:22.298,0:01:26.832 (Applause) 0:01:26.832,0:01:29.890 CA: And at the time, you were[br]kind of this hotshot entrepreneur, 0:01:29.890,0:01:31.585 working with satellites. 0:01:31.585,0:01:33.847 I think you had two successful companies, 0:01:33.847,0:01:35.951 and then you started[br]addressing this problem 0:01:35.951,0:01:40.162 of how could you use satellites[br]to revolutionize radio. 0:01:40.162,0:01:41.825 Tell us about that. 0:01:41.825,0:01:43.961 MR: Right. I always[br]loved space technology, 0:01:43.961,0:01:47.862 and satellites, to me, are sort of[br]like the canoes that our ancestors 0:01:47.862,0:01:50.021 first pushed out into the water. 0:01:50.021,0:01:53.388 So it was exciting for me[br]to be part of the navigation 0:01:53.388,0:01:55.826 of the oceans of the sky, 0:01:55.826,0:02:00.354 and as I developed different types[br]of satellite communication systems, 0:02:00.354,0:02:05.655 the main thing I did was to launch[br]bigger and more powerful satellites, 0:02:05.655,0:02:09.316 the consequence of which[br]was that the receiving antennas 0:02:09.316,0:02:11.290 could be smaller and smaller, 0:02:11.290,0:02:15.144 and after going through[br]direct television broadcasting, 0:02:15.144,0:02:18.678 I had the idea that if we could make[br]a more powerful satellite, 0:02:18.678,0:02:21.418 the receiving dish could be so small 0:02:21.418,0:02:24.710 that it would just be a section[br]of a parabolic dish, 0:02:24.710,0:02:28.449 a flat little plate embedded[br]into the roof of an automobile, 0:02:28.449,0:02:32.350 and it would be possible to have[br]nationwide satellite radio, 0:02:32.350,0:02:34.904 and that's Sirius XM today. 0:02:34.904,0:02:36.924 CA: Wow. So who here has used Sirius? 0:02:36.924,0:02:39.506 (Applause) 0:02:39.506,0:02:41.684 MR: Thank you for[br]your monthly subscriptions. 0:02:41.684,0:02:44.447 (Laughter) 0:02:44.447,0:02:48.649 CA: So that succeeded despite[br]all predictions at the time. 0:02:48.649,0:02:50.878 It was a huge commercial success, 0:02:50.878,0:02:55.197 but soon after this, in the early 1990s, 0:02:55.197,0:02:59.713 there was this big transition in your life[br]and you became Martine. 0:02:59.713,0:03:03.300 MR: Correct.[br]CA: So tell me, how did that happen? 0:03:05.010,0:03:11.877 MR: It happened in consultation with Bina[br]and our four beautiful children, 0:03:11.877,0:03:16.749 and I discussed with each of them 0:03:16.749,0:03:22.739 that I felt my soul was always female,[br]and as a woman, 0:03:22.739,0:03:27.334 but I was afraid people would[br]laugh at me if I expressed it, 0:03:27.334,0:03:29.863 so I always kept it bottled up 0:03:29.863,0:03:32.998 and just showed my male side. 0:03:32.998,0:03:36.016 And each of them[br]had a different take on this. 0:03:36.016,0:03:40.497 Bina said, "I love your soul, 0:03:40.497,0:03:44.073 and whether the outside[br]is Martin and Martine, 0:03:44.073,0:03:46.488 it doesn't it matter to me,[br]I love your soul." 0:03:46.488,0:03:54.150 My son said, "If you become a woman,[br]will you still be my father?" 0:03:54.150,0:03:57.377 And I said, "Yes,[br]I'll always be your father, 0:03:57.377,0:04:00.675 and I'm still his father today." 0:04:00.675,0:04:05.226 My youngest daughter did an absolutely[br]brilliant five-year-old thing. 0:04:05.226,0:04:10.287 She told people, "I love my dad[br]and she loves me." 0:04:11.897,0:04:16.432 So she had no problem[br]with a gender blending whatsoever. 0:04:16.432,0:04:19.349 CA: And a couple years after this,[br]you published this book: 0:04:19.349,0:04:21.229 "The Apartheid of Sex." 0:04:21.229,0:04:23.458 What was your thesis in this book? 0:04:23.458,0:04:27.800 MR: My thesis in this book is that there[br]are seven billion people in the world, 0:04:27.800,0:04:33.117 and actually, seven billion unique ways[br]to express one's gender. 0:04:33.117,0:04:39.549 And while people may have[br]the genitals of a male or a female, 0:04:39.549,0:04:42.591 the genitals don't determine your gender 0:04:42.591,0:04:45.400 or even really your sexual identity. 0:04:45.400,0:04:47.095 That's just a matter of anatomy 0:04:47.095,0:04:48.906 and reproductive tracts, 0:04:48.906,0:04:52.111 and people could choose[br]whatever gender they want 0:04:52.111,0:04:57.477 if they weren't forced by society[br]into categories of either male or female 0:04:57.477,0:05:01.771 the way South Africa used to force people[br]into categories of black or white. 0:05:01.778,0:05:05.980 We know from anthropological science[br]that race is fiction, 0:05:05.980,0:05:08.782 even though racism is very, very real, 0:05:08.782,0:05:11.382 and we now know from cultural studies 0:05:11.382,0:05:15.140 that separate male or female genders[br]is a constructed fiction. 0:05:15.570,0:05:18.335 The reality is a gender fluidity 0:05:18.335,0:05:22.225 that crosses the entire continuum[br]from male to female. 0:05:22.225,0:05:25.784 CA: You yourself don't always[br]feel 100 percent female. 0:05:25.784,0:05:28.019 MR: Correct. I would say in some ways 0:05:28.019,0:05:31.920 I change my gender about as often[br]as I change my hairstyle. 0:05:31.920,0:05:39.142 CA: (Laughs) Okay, now, this is[br]your gorgeous daughter, Genesis. 0:05:39.142,0:05:43.525 And I guess she was about this age[br]when something pretty terrible happened. 0:05:43.525,0:05:48.800 MR: Yes, she was finding herself[br]unable to walk up the stairs 0:05:48.800,0:05:50.611 in our house to her bedroom, 0:05:50.611,0:05:52.813 and after several months of doctors, 0:05:52.813,0:05:57.267 she was diagnosed to have a rare,[br]almost invariably fatal disease 0:05:57.267,0:06:01.338 called pulmonary arterial hypertension. 0:06:01.338,0:06:03.869 CA: So how did you respond to that? 0:06:03.869,0:06:07.398 MR: Well, we first tried to get her[br]to the best doctors we could. 0:06:07.398,0:06:11.415 We ended up at Children's National[br]Medical Center in Washington, D.C. 0:06:11.415,0:06:13.621 The head of pediatric cardiology 0:06:13.621,0:06:18.105 told us that he was going to refer her[br]to get a lung transplant, 0:06:18.105,0:06:19.984 but not to hold out any hope, 0:06:19.984,0:06:22.096 because there are[br]very few lungs available, 0:06:22.096,0:06:23.861 especially for children. 0:06:23.861,0:06:28.319 He said that all people[br]with this illness died, 0:06:28.319,0:06:32.939 and if any of you have seen[br]the film "Lorenzo's Oil," 0:06:32.939,0:06:34.843 there's a scene when the protagonist 0:06:34.843,0:06:41.089 kind of rolls down the stairway[br]crying and bemoaning the fate of his son, 0:06:41.089,0:06:44.456 and that's exactly[br]how we felt about Genesis. 0:06:44.456,0:06:48.078 CA: But you didn't accept that[br]as the limit of what you could do. 0:06:48.078,0:06:52.915 You started trying to research[br]and see if you could find a cure somehow. 0:06:52.915,0:06:56.739 MR: Correct. She was in the intensive[br]care ward for weeks at a time, 0:06:56.739,0:07:00.709 and Bina and I would tag team[br]to stay at the hospital 0:07:00.709,0:07:03.101 while the other watched[br]the rest of the kids, 0:07:03.101,0:07:05.678 and when I was in the hospital[br]and she was sleeping, 0:07:05.678,0:07:07.373 I went to the hospital library. 0:07:07.373,0:07:12.221 I read every article that I could find[br]on pulmonary hypertension. 0:07:12.221,0:07:15.680 I had not taken any biology,[br]even in college, 0:07:15.680,0:07:21.307 so I had to go from a biology textbook[br]to a college-level textbook 0:07:21.307,0:07:25.572 and then medical textbook[br]and the journal articles, back and forth, 0:07:25.572,0:07:29.635 and eventually I knew enough to think[br]that it might be possible 0:07:29.635,0:07:31.400 that somebody could find a cure. 0:07:31.400,0:07:35.254 So we started a nonprofit foundation. 0:07:35.254,0:07:39.597 I wrote a description[br]asking people to submit grants 0:07:39.597,0:07:42.336 and we would pay for medical research. 0:07:42.336,0:07:45.981 I became an expert on the condition --[br]doctors said to me, Martine, 0:07:45.981,0:07:49.696 we really appreciate all the funding[br]you've provided us, 0:07:49.696,0:07:53.736 but we are not going to be able[br]to find a cure in time 0:07:53.736,0:07:55.454 to save your daughter. 0:07:55.454,0:07:57.451 However, there is a medicine 0:07:57.451,0:08:02.652 that was developed at the[br]Burroughs Wellcome Company 0:08:02.652,0:08:05.764 that could halt the progression[br]of the disease, 0:08:05.764,0:08:10.570 but Burroughs Wellcome has just[br]been acquired by Glaxo Wellcome. 0:08:10.570,0:08:12.723 They made a decision not to develop 0:08:12.723,0:08:16.015 any medicines for rare[br]and orphan diseases, 0:08:16.015,0:08:20.612 and maybe you could use your expertise[br]in satellite communications 0:08:20.612,0:08:24.231 to develop this cure[br]for pulmonary hypertension. 0:08:25.191,0:08:28.254 CA: So how on earth did you get[br]access to this drug? 0:08:28.254,0:08:30.428 MR: I went to Glaxo Wellcome 0:08:30.428,0:08:35.907 and after three times being rejected[br]and having the door slammed in my face 0:08:35.907,0:08:39.415 because they weren't going[br]to out-license the drug 0:08:39.415,0:08:42.208 to a satellite communications expert, 0:08:42.208,0:08:48.643 they weren't going to send the drug[br]out to anybody at all, 0:08:48.643,0:08:51.682 and they thought[br]I didn't have the expertise, 0:08:51.682,0:08:58.276 finally I was able to persuade[br]a small team of people to work with me 0:08:58.276,0:09:00.644 and develop enough credibility. 0:09:00.644,0:09:02.525 I wore down their resistance, 0:09:02.525,0:09:06.095 and they had no hope this drug[br]would even work, by the way, 0:09:06.095,0:09:08.813 and they tried to tell me,[br]"You're just wasting your time. 0:09:08.813,0:09:10.414 We're sorry about your daughter." 0:09:10.414,0:09:13.432 But finally, for 25,000 dollars 0:09:13.432,0:09:17.890 and agreement to pay 10 percent[br]of any revenues we might ever get, 0:09:17.890,0:09:21.200 they agreed to give me[br]worldwide rights to this drug. 0:09:22.310,0:09:28.616 CA: And so you put this drug on the market[br]in a really brilliant way, 0:09:28.616,0:09:33.354 by basically charging what it would take[br]to make the economics work. 0:09:33.354,0:09:37.185 MR: Oh yes, Chris, but this really wasn't[br]a drug that I ended up -- 0:09:37.185,0:09:40.180 after I wrote the check for 25,000, 0:09:40.180,0:09:42.990 and I said, "Okay, where's[br]the medicine for Genesis?" 0:09:42.990,0:09:46.171 they said, "Oh, Martine,[br]there's no medicine for Genesis. 0:09:46.171,0:09:48.377 This is just something we tried in rats." 0:09:48.377,0:09:52.092 And they gave me, like,[br]a little plastic Ziploc bag 0:09:52.092,0:09:53.647 of a small amount of powder. 0:09:53.647,0:09:56.457 They said, "Don't give it to any human," 0:09:56.457,0:10:00.265 and they gave me a piece of paper[br]which said it was a patent, 0:10:00.265,0:10:04.096 and from that, we had to figure out[br]a way to make this medicine. 0:10:04.096,0:10:07.161 A hundred chemists in the U.S.[br]at the top universities 0:10:07.161,0:10:11.830 all swore that little patent[br]could never be turned into a medicine. 0:10:11.830,0:10:15.125 If it was turned into a medicine,[br]it could never be delivered 0:10:15.125,0:10:18.352 because it had a half-life[br]of only 45 minutes. 0:10:18.352,0:10:22.810 CA: And yet, a year or two later,[br]you were there with a medicine 0:10:22.810,0:10:26.967 that worked for Genesis. 0:10:26.967,0:10:32.001 MR: Chris, the astonishing thing[br]is that this absolutely worthless 0:10:32.001,0:10:33.654 piece of powder 0:10:33.654,0:10:37.717 that had the sparkle of a promise[br]of hope for Genesis 0:10:37.717,0:10:42.964 is not only keeping Genesis[br]and other people alive today, 0:10:42.964,0:10:47.097 but produces almost a billion[br]and a half dollars a year in revenue. 0:10:47.097,0:10:50.923 (Applause) 0:10:50.923,0:10:53.454 CA: So here you go. 0:10:53.454,0:10:57.007 So you took this company public, right? 0:10:57.007,0:10:59.537 And made an absolute fortune. 0:10:59.537,0:11:03.531 And how much have you paid Glaxo,[br]by the way, after that 25,000? 0:11:03.531,0:11:07.339 MR: Yeah, well, every year we pay them[br]10 percent of 1.5 billion, 0:11:07.339,0:11:11.054 150 million dollars,[br]last year 100 million dollars. 0:11:11.054,0:11:14.165 It's the best return on investment[br]they ever received. (Laughter) 0:11:14.165,0:11:16.232 CA: And the best news of all, I guess, 0:11:16.232,0:11:18.089 is this. 0:11:18.089,0:11:22.362 MR: Yes. Genesis is an absolutely[br]brilliant young lady. 0:11:22.362,0:11:24.985 She's alive, healthy today at 30. 0:11:24.985,0:11:27.447 You see me, Bina and Genesis there. 0:11:27.447,0:11:30.326 The most amazing thing about Genesis 0:11:30.326,0:11:33.228 is that while she could do[br]anything with her life, 0:11:33.228,0:11:36.924 and believe me, if you grew up[br]your whole life with people 0:11:36.924,0:11:39.846 in your face saying[br]that you've got a fatal disease, 0:11:39.846,0:11:44.559 I would probably run to Tahiti and just[br]not want to run into anybody again. 0:11:44.559,0:11:47.694 But instead she chooses to work[br]in United Therapeutics. 0:11:47.694,0:11:51.304 She says she wants to do all she can[br]to help other people 0:11:51.304,0:11:53.522 with orphan diseases get medicines, 0:11:53.522,0:11:58.212 and today, she's our project leader[br]for all telepresence activities, 0:11:58.212,0:12:01.741 where she helps digitally unite[br]the entire company to work together 0:12:01.741,0:12:04.690 to find cures for pulmonary hypertension. 0:12:04.690,0:12:07.987 CA: But not everyone who has this disease[br]has been so fortunate. 0:12:07.987,0:12:12.442 There are still many people dying,[br]and you are tackling that too. How? 0:12:12.442,0:12:16.926 MR: Exactly, Chris. There's some 3,000[br]people a year in the United States alone, 0:12:16.926,0:12:19.805 perhaps 10 times that number worldwide, 0:12:19.805,0:12:21.960 who continue to die of this illness 0:12:21.960,0:12:24.490 because the medicines[br]slow down the progression 0:12:24.490,0:12:26.185 but they don't halt it. 0:12:26.185,0:12:30.924 The only cure for pulmonary hypertension,[br]pulmonary fibrosis, 0:12:30.924,0:12:33.360 cystic fibrosis, emphysema, 0:12:33.360,0:12:36.355 COPD, what Leonard Nimoy just died of, 0:12:36.355,0:12:38.863 is a lung transplant, 0:12:38.863,0:12:43.623 but sadly, there are only enough[br]available lungs for 2,000 people 0:12:43.623,0:12:46.525 in the U.S. a year[br]to get a lung transplant, 0:12:46.525,0:12:49.822 whereas nearly a half[br]million people a year 0:12:49.822,0:12:52.121 die of end-stage lung failure. 0:12:52.121,0:12:54.815 CA: So how can you address that? 0:12:54.815,0:12:57.299 MR: So I conceptualize the possibility 0:12:57.299,0:13:00.712 that just like we keep cars and planes 0:13:00.712,0:13:03.104 and buildings going forever 0:13:03.104,0:13:07.331 with an unlimited supply[br]of building parts and machine parts, 0:13:07.331,0:13:10.521 why can't we create an unlimited supply[br]of transplantable organs 0:13:10.521,0:13:13.459 to keep people living indefinitely, 0:13:13.459,0:13:16.106 and especially people with lung disease. 0:13:16.106,0:13:21.632 So we've teamed up with the decoder[br]of the human genome, Craig Venter, 0:13:21.632,0:13:23.444 and the company he founded 0:13:23.444,0:13:26.950 with Peter Diamandis,[br]the founder of the X Prize, 0:13:26.950,0:13:29.016 to genetically modify 0:13:29.016,0:13:30.711 the pig genome 0:13:30.711,0:13:35.216 so that the pig's organs will not[br]be rejected by the human body 0:13:35.216,0:13:38.327 and thereby to create an unlimited supply 0:13:38.327,0:13:40.742 of transplantable organs. 0:13:40.742,0:13:43.714 We do this through our company,[br]United Therapeutics. 0:13:43.714,0:13:46.779 CA: So you really believe that within,[br]what, a decade, 0:13:46.779,0:13:51.260 that this shortage of transplantable lungs[br]maybe be cured, through these guys? 0:13:51.260,0:13:52.839 MR: Absolutely, Chris. 0:13:52.839,0:13:56.531 I'm as certain of that as I was[br]of the success that we've had 0:13:56.531,0:13:59.619 with direct television[br]broadcasting, Sirius XM. 0:13:59.619,0:14:01.825 It's actually not rocket science. 0:14:01.825,0:14:05.284 It's straightforward engineering away[br]one gene after another. 0:14:05.284,0:14:09.626 We're so lucky to be born in the time[br]that sequencing genomes 0:14:09.626,0:14:12.285 is a routine activity, 0:14:12.285,0:14:14.723 and the brilliant folks[br]at Synthetic Genomics 0:14:14.723,0:14:16.929 are able to zero in on the pig genome, 0:14:16.929,0:14:20.321 find exactly the genes[br]that are problematic, and fix them. 0:14:20.321,0:14:23.360 CA: But it's not just bodies that --[br]though that is amazing. 0:14:23.360,0:14:26.681 (Applause) 0:14:26.681,0:14:30.976 It's not just long-lasting bodies[br]that are of interest to you now. 0:14:30.976,0:14:33.008 It's long-lasting minds. 0:14:33.008,0:14:38.848 And I think this graph for you[br]says something quite profound. 0:14:38.848,0:14:40.032 What does this mean? 0:14:40.032,0:14:43.680 MR: What this graph means,[br]and it comes from Ray Kurzweil, 0:14:43.680,0:14:48.460 is that the rate of development[br]in computer processing 0:14:48.460,0:14:51.293 hardware, firmware and software, 0:14:51.293,0:14:54.288 has been advancing along a curve 0:14:54.288,0:14:58.460 such that by the 2020s, as we saw[br]in earlier presentations today, 0:14:58.460,0:15:01.625 there will be information technology 0:15:01.625,0:15:05.108 that processes information[br]and the world around us 0:15:05.108,0:15:07.523 at the same rate as a human mind. 0:15:08.333,0:15:12.027 CA: And so that being so, you're actually[br]getting ready for this world 0:15:12.027,0:15:16.114 by believing that we will soon[br]be able to, what, 0:15:16.114,0:15:22.457 actually take the contents of our brains[br]and somehow preserve them forever? 0:15:22.457,0:15:24.287 How do you describe that? 0:15:24.287,0:15:28.728 MR: Well, Chris, what we're working on[br]is creating a situation 0:15:28.728,0:15:31.213 where people can create a mind file, 0:15:31.213,0:15:35.221 and a mind file is the collection[br]of their mannerisms, personality, 0:15:35.221,0:15:37.101 recollection, feelings, 0:15:37.101,0:15:38.657 beliefs, attitudes and values, 0:15:38.657,0:15:44.999 everything that we've poured today[br]into Google, into Amazon, into Facebook, 0:15:44.999,0:15:51.174 and all of this information stored there[br]will be able, in the next couple decades, 0:15:51.174,0:15:55.560 once software is able[br]to recapitulate consciousness, 0:15:55.560,0:16:00.474 be able to revive the consciousness[br]which is imminent in our mind file. 0:16:00.474,0:16:03.039 CA: Now you're not just[br]messing around with this. 0:16:03.039,0:16:06.160 You're serious. I mean, who is this? 0:16:06.160,0:16:10.549 MR: This is a robot version of[br]my beloved spouse, Bina. 0:16:10.549,0:16:13.010 And we call her Bina 48. 0:16:13.010,0:16:16.609 She was programmed[br]by Hanson Robotics out of Texas. 0:16:16.609,0:16:19.581 There's the centerfold[br]from National Geographic magazine 0:16:19.581,0:16:22.251 with one of her caregivers, 0:16:22.251,0:16:24.294 and she roams the web 0:16:24.294,0:16:29.548 and has hundreds of hours[br]of Bina's mannerisms, personalities. 0:16:29.548,0:16:31.794 She's kind of like a two-year-old kid, 0:16:31.794,0:16:34.975 but she says things[br]that blow people away, 0:16:34.975,0:16:37.610 best expressed by perhaps 0:16:37.610,0:16:41.418 a New York Times Pulitzer Prize-winning[br]journalist Amy Harmon 0:16:41.418,0:16:43.996 who says her answers[br]are often frustrating, 0:16:43.996,0:16:50.195 but other times as compelling as those[br]of any flesh person she's interviewed. 0:16:50.195,0:16:54.593 CA: And is your thinking here,[br]part of your hope here, is that 0:16:54.593,0:17:01.038 this version of Bina can in a sense[br]live on forever, or some future upgrade 0:17:01.038,0:17:03.430 to this version can live on forever? 0:17:03.430,0:17:05.836 MR: Yes. Not just Bina, but everybody. 0:17:05.836,0:17:09.853 You know, it costs us virtually nothing[br]to store our mind files 0:17:09.853,0:17:12.779 on Facebook, Instagram, what-have-you. 0:17:12.779,0:17:16.842 Social media is I think one of the most[br]extraordinary inventions of our time, 0:17:16.842,0:17:20.836 and as apps become available[br]that will allow us 0:17:20.836,0:17:23.924 to out-Siri Siri, better and better, 0:17:23.924,0:17:26.571 and develop consciousness[br]operating systems, 0:17:26.571,0:17:29.473 everybody in the world,[br]billions of people, 0:17:29.473,0:17:33.211 will be able to develop[br]mind clones of themselves 0:17:33.211,0:17:35.765 that will have their own life on the web. 0:17:35.765,0:17:37.219 CA: So the thing is, Martine, 0:17:37.219,0:17:41.342 that in any normal conversation,[br]this would sound stark-staring mad, 0:17:41.342,0:17:44.696 but in the context of your life,[br]what you've done, 0:17:44.696,0:17:46.786 some of the things we've heard this week, 0:17:46.786,0:17:48.982 the constructed realities[br]that our minds give, 0:17:48.982,0:17:52.776 I mean, you wouldn't bet against it. 0:17:52.776,0:17:55.632 MR: Well, I think it's really nothing[br]coming from me. 0:17:55.632,0:18:02.296 If anything, I'm perhaps a bit[br]of a communicator of activities 0:18:02.296,0:18:05.686 that are being undertaken[br]by the greatest companies 0:18:05.686,0:18:09.006 in China, Japan, India, the U.S., Europe. 0:18:09.006,0:18:13.709 There are tens of millions of people[br]working on writing code 0:18:13.709,0:18:17.424 that expresses more and more aspects[br]of our human consciousness, 0:18:17.424,0:18:22.509 and you don't have to be a genius[br]to see that all these threads 0:18:22.509,0:18:26.641 are going to come together[br]and ultimately create human consciousness, 0:18:26.641,0:18:28.847 and it's something we'll value. 0:18:28.847,0:18:31.285 There are so many things[br]to do in this life, 0:18:31.285,0:18:35.888 and if we could have a simulacrum,[br]a digital doppelgänger of ourselves 0:18:35.888,0:18:38.785 that helps us process books, do shopping, 0:18:38.785,0:18:40.735 be our best friends, 0:18:40.735,0:18:43.777 I believe our mind clones,[br]these digital versions of ourselves, 0:18:43.777,0:18:46.378 will ultimately be our best friends, 0:18:46.378,0:18:48.398 and for me personally and Bina personally, 0:18:48.398,0:18:50.186 we love each other like crazy. 0:18:50.186,0:18:51.982 Each day, we are always saying, like, 0:18:51.982,0:18:54.517 "Wow, I love you even more[br]than 30 years ago. 0:18:54.517,0:18:57.663 And so for us, the prospect of mind clones 0:18:57.663,0:18:59.707 and regenerated bodies 0:18:59.707,0:19:02.797 is that our love affair, Chris,[br]can go on forever. 0:19:02.797,0:19:05.999 And we never get bored of each other.[br]I'm sure we never will. 0:19:05.999,0:19:08.371 CA: I think Bina's here, right?[br]MR: She is, yeah. 0:19:08.371,0:19:11.554 CA: Would it be too much, I don't know,[br]do we have a handheld mic? 0:19:11.554,0:19:15.246 Bina, could we invite you to the stage?[br]I just have to ask you one question. 0:19:15.246,0:19:16.894 Besides, we need to see you. 0:19:16.894,0:19:19.843 (Applause) 0:19:23.442,0:19:24.998 Thank you, thank you. 0:19:24.998,0:19:27.691 Come and join Martine here. 0:19:27.691,0:19:32.544 I mean, look, when you got married, 0:19:32.544,0:19:35.633 if someone had told you that,[br]in a few years time, 0:19:35.633,0:19:37.931 the man you were marrying[br]would become a woman, 0:19:37.931,0:19:40.833 and a few years after that,[br]you would become a robot -- 0:19:40.833,0:19:43.898 (Laughter) -- 0:19:43.898,0:19:47.183 how has this gone? How has it been? 0:19:47.183,0:19:49.749 Bina Rothblatt: It's been really[br]an exciting journey, 0:19:49.749,0:19:52.089 and I would have never[br]thought that at the time, 0:19:52.089,0:19:55.926 but we started making goals[br]and setting those goals 0:19:55.926,0:19:57.197 and accomplishing things, 0:19:57.197,0:19:59.664 and before you knew it,[br]we just keep going up and up 0:19:59.664,0:20:02.311 and we're still not stopping,[br]so it's great. 0:20:02.311,0:20:05.376 CA: Martine told me something[br]really beautiful, 0:20:05.376,0:20:08.135 just actually on Skype before this, 0:20:08.135,0:20:13.966 which was that he wanted[br]to live for hundreds of years 0:20:13.966,0:20:16.292 as a mind file, 0:20:16.292,0:20:19.424 but not if it wasn't with you. 0:20:19.424,0:20:21.532 BR: That's right,[br]we want to do it together. 0:20:21.532,0:20:24.785 We're cryonicists as well,[br]and we want to wake up together. 0:20:24.785,0:20:27.221 CA: So just so as you know,[br]from my point of view, 0:20:27.221,0:20:30.936 this isn't only one of the most[br]astonishing lives I have heard, 0:20:30.936,0:20:33.940 it's one of the most astonishing[br]love stories I've ever heard. 0:20:33.940,0:20:36.300 It's just a delight to have you[br]both here at TED. 0:20:36.300,0:20:37.646 Thank you so much. 0:20:37.646,0:20:39.968 MR: Thank you. 0:20:39.968,0:20:46.609 (Applause)