This never was a good idea to begin with because of the risk of data breach.
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Story by WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS •
“ San Francisco-based 23andMe announced on Sunday that it will look to sell “substantially all of its assets” through a court-approved reorganization plan.
Anne Wojcicki, who co-founded 23andMe nearly two decades ago, is also stepping down as CEO effective immediately, the company said — but will remain on the 23andMe board. Her resignation comes just weeks after a board committee rejected a nonbinding acquisition proposal from Wojcicki, who had been trying to take the company private.
23andMe has faced an uncertain future for some time. Beyond battles to go private, the company has struggled to find a profitable business model since going public in 2021. And privacy concerns related to customers' genetic information have also emerged, notably spanning from a 2023 data breach.
23andMe was founded in 2006, with a promise to revolutionize the future of genetics and health care. The company became known for its saliva-based DNA testing kits — purchased by millions of customers eager to learn more about their ancestry — and later dived further into health research and drug development.”
“Personal data collected by 23andme has always been at risk,” Bringardner wrote in emailed commentary on Monday — pointing particularly to a 2023 data breach that compromised ancestral information for nearly 7 million 23andMe customers. He adds that litigation spanning from the aftermath of this breach helped drive up liabilities that eventually contributed to the current bankruptcy filing.”
Genetic Testing Company Selling DNA Data
AP Health Writer Tom Murphy contributed to this report from Indianapolis.
24 Mar 2025, 12:44 pm
