Sunday, October 20, 2024

What 23andMe’s turmoil means for your genetic data

Sunday, October 20, 2024

Image Credits: David Paul Morris / Bloomberg / Getty Images

Genetic-testing company 23andMe is famous for its saliva-based genetic tests, but the company's future is uncertain following a data breach and a 99% decline in value since going public.

Carly Page examines 23andMe's struggles and the implications for its 15 million customers. At one point, founder and CEO Anne Wojcicki said she was "considering third-party takeover proposals," though she later reversed course and is now trying to take the company private.

What does that mean for 23andMe customers' genetic data? It seems the company's use of that data is bound more by its own privacy policies than federal regulation. Indeed, Wojcicki has reportedly told investors that her future plans include selling customer data to pharmaceutical companies and researchers.

Keep reading to see what else TechCrunch is covering this weekend.

Weekend news and opinion

Image Credits: Anthropic

Get up to speed on Anthropic's AI: If you're thinking about using Anthropic's generative AI model Claude, Kyle Wiggers breaks down everything you need to know, from the different models available to the pricing to the risks. (Surprisingly, the "midrange" model is currently the most capable.) Read more

A week with the Chevy Equinox: Until now, Matt Rosoff has only briefly driven a few Teslas, but he spent a full week with the Equinox. He was impressed by its beauty and its control system, but it sounds like charging was a challenge. Read more

Throne's toilet camera photographs your you-know-what: Brian Heater profiles a startup that aims to give people a better understanding of their health by taking pictures of their poop. As for privacy, the company says it only has access to "anonymized, aggregated data." Read more

What else we're reading 📗

Platformer's Casey Newton looks at the state of Google search as a new executive takes over its search engine and ad products. As Casey puts it, Google's "erratic output this year has left many of us reluctant to hand it the keys," so it may be time to shake things up. Read more

Also, Wired interviews early Googler and former Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer about her new startup Sunshine. Read more