[7][8] Formerly a reporter for the National Geographic Channel,[9] Istvan now writes futurist, transhumanist, secular and political-themed articles for major media, including The New York Times.

[18] Zoltan Istvan was born in Los Angeles in 1973 to his Hungarian immigrant parents Ilona and Steven (István) Gyurko.

[40] Istvan's writings and ideas on transhumanism, philosophy, atheism and futurist issues have been featured in major media[41][42][43][44][45] Istvan has also written for Gizmodo,[46] New Scientist,[47] Salon,[48] TechCrunch,[49] The Daily Dot,[50] International Business Times[51] Singularity University's Singularity Hub,[52] TechInsider,[53] Newsweek,[54] Futurism[55] and Slate.

[65][66][67] In October and November 2014 interviews, Istvan explained that he aimed to unify the transhumanist community, which otherwise was splintered, and to establish a single voice.

[75] His 20-point platform includes a universal basic income, increased funding for space travel and taking money from the military and putting it into science and medicine.

[76][77][78] In February 2016, it was reported that Istvan was likely to vote Democrat, placing himself "somewhere between Bernie and Hillary in terms of political ideologies",[75] but later in 2016 he also wrote articles supporting Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson.

[82] Istvan emphasized science, technology, longevity, transhumanism and Libertarian values in his California gubernatorial run, along with support for basic income.

[84][85] In his debut editorial for Reason magazine, he argued that reparations for harm caused to marijuana users during the federal government's War on Drugs may be appropriate.

[22] He suggested reparations could be paid as tax credits or through the sale of federal lands, so as not to put further burden associated with the drug war on taxpayers.

[86] In March 2019 during an interview on the Bread and Circuses podcast, Istvan told Caleb Salvatore and Nick Koehler that he was again considering a run for President.

[88] Istvan states that in the 21st century, as modern man confronts the finitude of life, everyone faces a Transhumanist Wager, a concept that is explored in his science fiction novel of the same name.

To try to do something scientifically constructive towards ensuring immortality beforehand is the most logical conclusion.Istvan is the creator of the concepts of Theistcideism,[91][92][93] Omnipotism,[94] the AI Imperative,[95] the Singularity Disparity,[96][97] Speciation Syndrome,[98] Post-earthism,[99] Delayed Fertility Advantage,[100] and Jethro's Window,[101] a possible solution to the Fermi Paradox.

[112][113] Writing for The New York Times opinion section, Istvan argued conservatives should consider supporting artificial wombs to move the abortion debate forward.

[123] Istvan's promotional article on the topic in Vice's Motherboard, helped a GoFundMe campaign to achieve success in raising $5,820 to provide funding for the orphanage.