After 23andMe’s bankruptcy, Anne Wojcicki won the court-supervised auction for its assets, including customer DNA data, for $305 million. The company now operates as a nonprofit research institute, retaining ancestry services and opening its database to researchers. Wojcicki says she has accepted new limits on data use; about 2 million customers deleted data during bankruptcy.
During 23andMe’s bankruptcy proceedings, customers and government officials raised concerns about what would happen to sensitive genetic data if the company changed hands. Roughly 2 million people deleted their data during that period, Wojcicki said. She has agreed to new limits on the use of the sensitive customer data, which includes details on ancestry, genetic traits and health risks.
Once valued at about $6 billion, 23andMe filed for bankruptcy last year. A few months later, Wojcicki won an auction for the company’s assets, agreeing to pay $305 million for the cache of customer DNA data.
She has turned 23andMe into a nonprofit. It still sells an ancestry service as well as other, more expensive products, including a kit that includes DNA analysis and blood testing. It’s also making its DNA database accessible to researchers and contributing to published scientific articles on obesity drugs and cannabis.
There’s a lot of confusion around 23andMe: Is the company still in business? Is it now owned by Regeneron, the biotech company that once tried to buy it? Are its genetic test kits still available for sale? And if you’re a customer, what happens to your data? It’s been about a year since 23andMe plummeted into Chapter 11 following a series of financial and regulatory misfortunes. Last summer, in bankruptcy court, the company’s founder and former CEO, Anne Wojcicki, won a bidding war against Regeneron and took over 23andMe’s assets, most importantly the genetic data of millions of users, for $305 million. The company now operates as the 23andMe Research Institute, a nonprofit medical research organization.
SAN FRANCISCO, June 13, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- 23andMe Holding Co. ("23andMe" or the "Company") (OTC: MEHCQ), a leading human genetics and biotechnology company, today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement with TTAM Research Institute ("TTAM"), a nonprofit public benefit corporation based in California and led by 23andMe Co-Founder and former CEO Anne Wojcicki, for the sale of substantially all of the Company's assets, including the Personal Genome Service (PGS) and Research Services business lines and the Lemonaid Health business, for a purchase price of $305 million.
23andMe’s board resigned together amid the company’s crisis; Anne Wojcicki said she was blindsided, while former director Patrick Chung said reorganization and program cuts had become necessary. An Inc. account alleges Wojcicki’s voting control left the board structurally weak and says directors resigned after she failed to provide an actionable, fully financed offer to take the company private.
23andMe and Wojcicki have gone through a tumultuous few years. The company’s board resigned en masse two years ago, just a few weeks after the death of her sister, Susan, who had been YouTube’s chief executive officer. Wojcicki describes being blindsided by the board’s move, calling it “an unbelievable surprise to me.”
Anne Wojcicki co-founded 23andMe in 2006, turned spit kits into a cultural moment, and rode that wave to a $6 billion valuation when the company went public in 2021. Four years later, it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The share price had fallen more than 95 percent from its peak, a 2023 data breach had exposed the genetic data of more than six million customers, and the seven independent directors on her board, including YouTube CEO Neal Mohan, had resigned in a single day, leaving Wojcicki as the company's sole remaining board member. She didn't lose the company because she ran out of ideas. Wojcicki lost it because she had spent nearly two decades building a company where no one could tell her no. And eventually, one where no one could help her course correct either. The architecture of unchecked control The mechanism was a dual-class share structure. Class B shares — the ones Wojcicki held — carried 10 votes each. Class A shares, held by outside investors, carried one. The result: Despite only owning roughly 20 percent of the company's equity, Wojcicki controlled a whopping 49 percent of its voting power. No shareholder coalition could override her without near-total unity among every other investor. In practice, that kind of coordinated opposition almost never happens. She was protected at the board level too. Former senior employees said Wojcicki had controlled a majority of board votes even before the company went public, a fact visible only in filings after the IPO. As early as 2009, she had approached the board to push out her co-founder, Linda Avey, and run the company alone. The board complied. The part that matters for founders is that Wojcicki didn't ignore her board. She carefully constructed a company where the board's opinion was structurally optional. What happened when it mattered most By 2024, the company was in crisis. The board formed a special committee to evaluate strategic options. Wojcicki proposed taking 23andMe private, a move that would have given her even more control. The board rejected the offer as insufficient; among other reasons, she proposed a massively discounted price in shares. Months passed, and she still hadn’t submitted an improved
She didn’t lose the company because she ran out of ideas. Wojcicki lost it because she had spent nearly two decades building a company where no one could tell her no. And eventually, one where no one could help her course correct either.
A 2023 breach exposed data from 6.9 million customers, including more than 78,000 Oklahomans. A multistate investigation found 23andMe had inadequate security practices; settlements limit state recoveries to available bankruptcy funds. The company’s customer-data assets went to the nonprofit founded by Anne Wojcicki, which agreed to stronger protections, oversight and deletion rights. Wojcicki said customers retained choice.
23andMe has faced some controversy regarding its data collection, privacy, and security. 7 In October 2023, 23andMe published a press release reveling that there had been a data breach of customer data through “data stuffing,” a process where hackers used stolen login information from other sources to log into 23andMe customer accounts and steal data. At which time, the genetic data of the affected customers were accessible and potentially stolen by hackers. 8 It was also questioned by Connecticut Attorney General William Tong (D) as to whether or not a data breach was targeted towards Ashkenazi Jewish and Chinese genetic data. 7
OKLAHOMA CITY (July 16, 2026) – Attorney General Gentner Drummond announced today that Oklahoma will receive $276,435 as part of a multistate settlement over 23andMe's 2023 data breach. The breach exposed the genetic and personal data of more than 78,000 Oklahomans.
At its peak, 23andMe was valued at $6 billion when it went public in 2021. By the time it filed for bankruptcy, its market cap had fallen to around $20 million. A major turning point came in late 2023, when the company suffered a data breach that ultimately affected nearly seven million users, including relatives of more than 10,000 users whose accounts were directly compromised. The incident sparked a “delete 23andMe” campaign, prompting about two million users (out of 15 million) to leave the platform before the restructuring.
In the immediate aftermath of the data breach the attorneys general formed a multistate investigation and found that 23andMe engaged in unreasonable data security practices, including, but not limited to failing to:
In October 2023, the genetic testing company announced that it had discovered a data breach affecting 6.9 million customers. This data breach exposed a wide range of data about 23andMe customers, including in some cases genetic ancestry information, and subsets of this data were subsequently published for sale on the dark web.
Anne Wojcicki said her two primary goals are for everyone worldwide to benefit from genetic testing and know their genetic information, and to build the world’s largest open-source research platform. She said the platform would help answer important questions faster and with far less capital.
“I have two primary goals,” Wojcicki said. “One, that every person in the world can benefit from genetic testing. Everyone should know their genetic information. And two, to build the world’s largest open-source research platform so we can answer important questions faster and with far less capital.”
23andMe Research Institute published a Nature study analyzing more than 27,000 participants and identifying genetic markers associated with weight-loss results and severe side-effect risks from GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy. Anne Wojcicki described the company’s large research cohort; a spokesperson said more than 11 million users had consented to research.
Earlier this month, 23andMe Research Institute published a major study in the science journal Nature on genetic predictors for GLP-1 weight-loss drugs. The study offers the first direct genetic evidence explaining why people respond differently to medications like Ozempic and Wegovy. Analyzing data from more than 27,000 participants, researchers identified genetic markers linked to both weight-loss success and the risk of severe side effects.
On Oct. 30, 2025, the nonprofit 23andMe Research Institute announced a Privacy Advisory Board of experts in health-data privacy, ethics and consumer advocacy. It will advise on protecting member information, privacy regulations and the implications of new technologies. Founder and CEO Anne Wojcicki said the board supports the institute’s data-protection and ethical-use efforts.
PALO ALTO, Calif., Oct. 30, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- 23andMe Research Institute, a nonprofit medical research organization, today announced the formation of its Privacy Advisory Board. Composed of leading experts in health data privacy, data ethics, and consumer advocacy, the Board will provide strategic guidance on the protection of member information and the organization's responsible stewardship of personal data.
InfluenceWatch reports that the Anne Wojcicki Foundation made grants in 2022 to several major left-of-center philanthropic organizations: $5 million to New Venture Fund for Project Daybreak, $100,000 to Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, $750,000 to Planned Parenthood Federation of America and $1 million to the Barack Obama Foundation.
In 2022, the Anne Wojcicki Foundation made grants to several major left-of-center philanthropic organizations, including $5 million to New Venture Fund for Project Daybreak, $100,000 to Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, $750,000 to Planned Parenthood Federation of America, and $1 million to the Barack Obama Foundation. 11
On Oct. 13, 2026, 23andMe Research Institute announced its first Scientific Advisory Board, with experts in genomics, AI, gene editing, infectious disease and clinical medicine. The board will advise on research priorities, programs, grants, regulation and partnerships. The institute said it held its inaugural meeting earlier that month.
PALO ALTO, Calif., Oct. 13, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- 23andMe Research Institute, a nonprofit medical research organization, today announced the formation of its first Scientific Advisory Board. Composed of leading experts in genomics, artificial intelligence, gene editing, infectious disease, and clinical medicine, with experience across academia, government, and industry, the Board will provide independent guidance on scientific strategy and emerging opportunities, helping ensure the Institute's work stays innovative, rigorous, and ethical.
On Nov. 5, 2025, the nonprofit 23andMe Research Institute appointed Kael Reicin chief financial officer to help lead its transition to nonprofit medical research. Reicin previously served as chief financial and strategy officer at the American Cancer Society. Founder and CEO Anne Wojcicki said his financial and nonprofit experience would support sustainable operations.
PALO ALTO, Calif., Nov. 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- 23andMe Research Institute, a nonprofit medical research organization, today announced the appointment of Kael Reicin to the role of Chief Financial Officer. Reicin will help lead the ongoing transition of operations to that of a nonprofit medical research organization.
InfluenceWatch reports that 23andMe founder Anne Wojcicki has contributed to Democratic campaigns since 2010. It lists $600,000 to the Biden Victory Fund in 2020, $275,000 to the Democratic National Committee in 2021 and $213,000 to the committee in 2022, as well as contributions to Gavin Newsom, Hillary Clinton and the Ossoff-Warnock Victory Fund.
Anne Wojcicki contributes to Democratic Party political campaigns. Since 2010, her top contributions include a $600,000 to the Biden Victory Fund campaign in 2020, $275,000 to the Democratic National Committee in 2021, and $213,000 to the Democratic National Committee in 2022. Other notable recipients include Gavin Newsom (D-CA), former Democratic party presidential nominee Hilary Clinton, and the Ossoff-Warnock Victory Fund. 12
On October 24, 2025, 23andMe Research Institute announced that Brad Margus and Stephen Quake had joined its board to provide strategic guidance. Founder Anne Wojcicki said their genetics, research and nonprofit experience would help shape member services and support the institute’s contribution to understanding human genetics and health.
PALO ALTO, Calif., Oct. 24, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- 23andMe Research Institute, a nonprofit medical research organization, today announced two new members of its Board of Directors. Brad Margus and Stephen Quake, D.Phil., join the Board to provide strategic guidance focused on ensuring operations have the greatest possible impact for generations to come.