23andMe, the enterprise whose mail-in self-testing units got here to be recognized with DNA screening, is filing for bankruptcy amidst lowering gross sales 4 years after it went public. Anne Wojcicki, that co-founded 23andMe in 2006, is tipping down as chief govt officer as the company tries to find a buyer.
In January, 23andMe said it was testing options for a sale amidst lowering want for its merchandise and the after results of a big info violation in 2023. In 2024, the enterprise consented to a financial negotiation for the violation, which impacted 6.9 million people. The enterprise had truly likewise revealed discharges ofabout 40% of its workforce in late 2024 Recently, the enterprise’s provide dipped below a dollar, inserting it vulnerable to being delisted from the NASDAQ.
In a note to customers, the enterprise claimed completely nothing is presently altering regarding the technique it retailers, takes care of or secures consumer info which the enterprise continues to be open for service and advertising DNA units. “Through this process, we will seek to find a partner who shares our commitment to customer data privacy and allows our mission of helping people access, understand and benefit from the human genome to live on,” the enterprise claimed in its weblog submit.
At its prime, 23andMe got here to be the best-known identify within the arising location of DNA self-testing, with people paying $99 for units that offered understandings proper into their hereditary make-up, potential family members and origins. But the enterprise’s power decreased not too long ago after its $3.5 billion public providing in 2021.
People which have truly made use of 23andMe and are frightened regarding what might happen to their info in a sale have options: They can obtain their particulars after that erase their account, along with ask the enterprise to discard their DNA product together with erasing the knowledge. Doing so will definitely keep DNA particulars from being made use of in future examine, but it can’t be eradicated from examine that has truly at the moment been performed.
