23andMe lays off 100 people as DNA test sales decline

Re:23andMe lays off 100 people as DNA test sales decline by mterrel on Thursday January 23, 2020 @01:23PM (#22130155)

I just wonder what happens to everyone's DNA data as the company faces financial trouble and/or sells itself. That's in addition to any concerns about possible security breaches that might occur.

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Re:23andMe lays off 100 people as DNA test sales decline by Paul-ish on Thursday January 23, 2020 @06:35PM (#22133569)

This is an important question. Ancestry, for example, has been taking on debt to pay dividends at the behest of its majority shareholder.

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Re:23andMe lays off 100 people as DNA test sales decline by shostack on Friday January 24, 2020 @10:06PM (#22144359)

Source?

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Re:23andMe lays off 100 people as DNA test sales decline by LatteLazy on Thursday January 23, 2020 @02:35PM (#22130965)

Sold to the highest bidder...

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Re:23andMe lays off 100 people as DNA test sales decline by redisman on Thursday January 23, 2020 @02:42PM (#22131043)

I think that's already happened and now they're out of ways to monetize further.

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Re:23andMe lays off 100 people as DNA test sales decline by rolltiide on Thursday January 23, 2020 @04:29PM (#22132332)

Which contributes to why sales declined.

Enough people have had their awkward family gatherings after trying to have fun with a novelty gift.

Enough people have watched others mess up otherwise cohesive family structures over what was supposed to be a novelty toy.

Enough people have watched the availability for genetic information to go to law enforcement. And that maybe they don't need your specific information to use that effectively, so why give more whether you agree with it or disagree with it.

And the uncertainty of this information being stored in perpetuity, available to the highest bidder.

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Re:23andMe lays off 100 people as DNA test sales decline by monadic2 on Thursday January 23, 2020 @04:38PM (#22132431)

Interestingly it also got Elizabeth Warren in hot water and accused of normalizing race science by interpreting her test as proof of ethnicity.

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Re:23andMe lays off 100 people as DNA test sales decline by quantified on Saturday January 25, 2020 @12:08AM (#22144835)

Not much wonder. Focus more energy on ways to monetize the DNA they have already collected?

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