A Mumbai-based techie, Abhinav Gupta, has offered to improve the air quality at Zerodha’s office after American entrepreneur Bryan Johnson abruptly walked out of a podcast episode due to poor air quality. The episode, featuring Bryan Johnson, was recorded at Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath’s sea-facing apartment in Bandra, Mumbai.
In a post on platform X (formerly Twitter) on February 5, Gupta stated that he had been trying to get in touch with the Zerodha team to address the air quality concerns. “Hi Nitin, I have been trying to get in touch with your team for fixing the air at Zerodha’s office,” he wrote.
According to Gupta, he conducted an indoor air quality (IAQ) test, which revealed that carbon dioxide (CO2) levels and particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5) exceeded normal levels. “We did an IAQ test and found excess CO2 and PM2.5; I am offering a free installation and a guarantee that AQI will be single digit,” Gupta added in his post.
Gupta’s offer included setting up equipment to reduce the air quality index (AQI) to single digits. However, he stated that Zerodha replied, mentioning they would get back to him on the matter.
The incident gained attention after Bryan Johnson, known for his focus on longevity, wore a face mask during the podcast due to India’s air quality and eventually walked out midway. The podcast, which aired on Kamath’s WTF Podcast, has since garnered over half a million views and sparked a social media debate about the state of air quality in India.
Zerodha CEO Nithin Kamath later commented on the situation on platform X, revealing that the podcast had been recorded in Bandra, where the AQI was over 160. Kamath also pointed out that the AQI at Zerodha’s JP Nagar office in Bengaluru was over 120, adding that the situation could be even worse in the busier parts of major cities.
“In the US and Europe, the AQI typically stays below 50, which is considered good. An AQI of 50 to 100 is moderate, 100 to 150 is poor, 150 to 200 is unhealthy, 200 to 250 is severe, and above 250 is hazardous,” Kamath noted in his post.
