Exclusive | Andrew Huberman made science hot meet the health-conscious super-fans living by his protocols

Last week, nearly 6,000 superfans packed Radio City Music Hall — but not to see their favorite pop star.Instead, wellness obsessives were there to worship at the altar of their hunkiest high priest — tattooed skateboarder, rock-music obsessive, Stanford neuroscientist Andrew Huberman.They stood in the aisle of the esteemed venue, posing and taking photos with his long-anticipated book, Protocols: An Operating Manual for the Human Body, as a photo carousel splayed across the screens.And when he finally took to the stage, the audience hung on his every word.Even though many of those words — personal anecdotes and pretty generic wellness advice — had been shared before, across multiple podcast episodes.In a different era, he might have been dismissed as a science geek.

But in today’s longevity-obsessed economy, he’s a demigod.Call it revenge of the nerds, except the nerds got hot.Thanks to his chronically online posting, Huberman is now one of the most influential modern-day “celebrities.”The timing of his rise, rooted in the pandemic, coincided with people taking a genuine interest in understanding and having more autonomy over their health — so his advice on the importance of sleep, exercise, supplement protocols and, of course, neuroplasticity has gone viral time and again.Searches for the scientist have surged 2,100% in five years.He’s amassed nearly 16 million followers on YouTube and Instagram, over half a million on TikTok, and a 55,000-person Reddit community whose members call themselves “sungazers,” because, well, Andrew Huberman wants you to go outside.Though his net worth isn’t public, his empire now includes a bestselling book, live events, merchandise, a paid Huberman Lab membership ($10 a month), major sponsors and compensated advisory relationships with health and wellness companies.His Huberman Lab podcast has 3 million weekly listeners, but his influence extends far beyond his nearly 3-hour episodes.Devotees have changed the...