23&me
In this blog post, I will discuss 23andMe and how it built its company using DNA sequencing technologies.
The founders of this company are Anne Wojcicki and Linda Avey.
The vision that sparked the company’s inception was to transform healthcare through personal genetic testing.
They started building the company together in 2006.
The company’s mission was to give paying customers access to genetic testing.
The company wanted to inform them of predispositions to diseases.
To name a few, sickle cell anemia, certain cancers, Alzheimer’s, and Parkerson’s.
23&Me created a genetic test capable of detecting more than 30 autosomal diseases.
The initial investment of $3.9 million from Google was made in 2007.
Interestingly, Anne Wojcicki married Sergey Brin (co-founder of Google) in 2007. 23&Me filed for bankruptcy in March of 2025, and Anne Wojcicki (CEO) resigned.
In 2023, there was a data breach and several customers who use 23&Me private information was stolen.
The hacker stole about half of the 23&Me customer base.
In June of 2025, 23&Me was fined by the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office.
The fine was 2.31 million pounds.
It was given because of a slow response to the hack and a failure to protect user data.
23&Me’s future does not look hopeful.
Sources
“Anne Wojcicki” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 29 September 2025 updated, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Anne_Wojcicki&action=history
Rogers, Kara. “Anne Wojcicki.” Encyclopedia Britannica, 1 Oct. 2025, https://www.britannica.com/money/Anne-Wojcicki. Accessed 1 October 2025.
Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Sergey Brin.” Encyclopedia Britannica, 1 Oct. 2025, https://www.britannica.com/money/Sergey-Brin. Accessed 1 October 2025.
Wikipedia contributors. “23andMe.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 30 Sep. 2025. Web. 1 Oct. 2025, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:CiteThisPage&page=23andMe&id=1314298634&wpFormIdentifier=titleform