'Her puzzle piece fits mine': Bryan Johnson reveals he has a girlfriend in lengthy post

Bryan Johnson said they kept the relationship private for years, giving it time to develop away from public scrutiny.

Tech entrepreneur and anti-ageing advocate Bryan Johnson disclosed that he had been in a long-term relationship, sharing the news through an unusually candid post on X that drew widespread attention. Johnson, aged 48, opened his message with a straightforward declaration—“Guys, I have a girlfriend”—before acknowledging that many might react with disbelief. He said the explanation was simply that “her puzzle piece fits mine,” setting the tone for a detailed personal account describing how the relationship evolved over several years.

Johnson said he had spent much of his adult life looking for a partnership that mirrored the emotional and intellectual bond he had admired in his early twenties while reading the biography of John Adams. The historical relationship between Adams and his wife Abigail, which he described as “one of the great partnerships in American history,” had become his reference point for the type of companionship he sought.

He wrote that his own experiences had not taken him in that direction early on and that, by his mid-forties, he had begun to accept “the possibility of a life without partnership.”

The turning point, he said, came when he met Kate Tolo at Kernel, his neurotechnology company. Johnson explained that Tolo had been intrigued by his research into how humans might evolve alongside artificial intelligence.

Although they were from very different backgrounds—he described her as “a 30-year-old Bosnian-Australian-American who once dreamed of a career in fashion”—they recognised a shared intensity in how they approached their work. According to him, “The puzzle piece fit was immediate, as immediate as either of us had ever experienced.”

Despite that connection, he said they established strict professional boundaries, working together closely but resisting any personal involvement due to past experiences that had left both of them wary. Johnson wrote that their late-evening discussions in his office gradually became the part of the day he looked forward to the most.

Guys…I have a girlfriend.

Now I know what you’re thinking…how is it possible that anyone would want to be with me? I understand where you’re coming from. I think the answer is: her puzzle piece fits mine. In my early twenties, I read the biography of the American founding… pic.twitter.com/mEI6NoinmM — Bryan Johnson (@bryan_johnson) December 2, 2025

He said his emotions “pulled,” even when his rational instincts held back. He described Kate as “luminescent,” highlighting her interest in second-hand fashion, her inventive style, and her habit of thinking in ways he found unusual and compelling: “She was art.”

The two worked together on Project Blueprint, the regimen that formed the basis of his global anti-ageing programme. Johnson said that while they built the project, both remained careful to avoid acting on their feelings—he out of fear and she because she had grown up “to distrust all things.” After about eighteen months, he raised the question that neither had voiced. Tolo, he wrote, confirmed she felt the same way.

Johnson said they kept the relationship private for years, giving it time to develop away from public scrutiny. He acknowledged that the difference in their lives—a divorced father of three and a woman much younger than him with a different upbringing—meant they had to navigate adjustments slowly. Eventually, he said, the relationship settled into what he called a “stable, positive, and calm” rhythm.

In the post, he praised Tolo not only as a partner but as an integral part of the success of his projects, including Blueprint and Don’t Die. He highlighted her analytical ability, emotional depth, and ability to interpret situations with unusual clarity.

“Relative to her, I feel myopic,” he wrote, adding that she had “prescience and thoughtfulness” and could break down complex insights in ways that “allow for everyone to win.” He also criticised assumptions made by some who believed she functioned only as an assistant, calling it a misconception that failed to recognise her contributions: “It’s such a loss because people are looking for what she has to offer.”

He said Tolo had also helped him rebuild his relationship with his father. Johnson described the dynamic between himself, Kate, and his son Talmage as a close-knit unit filled with conversations that were “fast, dark, rowdy,” which he said brought them comfort and connection. He wrote that Talmage even assessed potential partners by comparing them with Kate.

Johnson ended the post with a comparison drawn from the story of Ernest Shackleton’s expedition, saying that finally finding companionship after years of searching felt equivalent to reaching land after prolonged uncertainty: “Kate feels like land to me after being adrift and searching for 25 years.” He closed the message by writing, “Lucky me, I found my Abigail Adams.”

The post included a collage with images of the couple over several years and triggered a largely positive response from X users. One user wrote, “Find a partner that writes essays about you like Bryan writes about his girlfriend.” Another added, “Congrats Bryan. Finding the right person is also a massive net positive for living longer. Win/win.”

Johnson also provided further details, referring to an earlier period in his life when he had entered what he described as “a sort of arranged Mormon marriage.” He said that the relationship lasted thirteen years but did not offer the intellectual and emotional connection he sought: “We were functional, but we weren’t John and Abigail. We split after thirteen years.”

Tolo has frequently appeared in videos relating to his lifestyle programme and was also seen supporting him during an incident in which he consumed psychedelic mushrooms on a livestream. She had also accompanied him to public events, including Paris Hilton’s birthday celebration earlier in the year.

In 2023, during an interview on the “Diary of a CEO” podcast with Steven Bartlett, Johnson had spoken openly about being single and said his extreme daily routine made it difficult for others to adapt to his lifestyle. Johnson, who previously founded the payments company Braintree before moving on to neurotechnology and longevity research, said he had struggled to find someone who would accept the strict structure of his health regimen.