# California posts public warning the day before 23andme goes bankrupt **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 24, 2025, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-posts-public-warning-the-day-before-23andme-goes-bankrupt/1016009 "2025-03-24T06:25:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2025, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-posts-public-warning-the-day-before-23andme-goes-bankrupt/1016009/1 "2025-03-24T06:25:33Z")
Yesterday the State of California warned that the genetic testing company 23andme is in poor financial shape, and urged people to delete their information there: [Attorney General Bonta Urgently Issues Consumer Alert for 23andMe Customers | State of California - Department of Justice - Office of the Attorney General](https://oag.ca.gov/news/press-releases/attorney-general-bonta-urgently-issues-consumer-alert-23andme-customers) Today the company filed for bankruptcy: [DNA testing firm 23andMe files for bankruptcy to sell itself; CEO leaves after failed bids | Reuters](https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/dna-testing-firm-23andme-files-chapter-11-bankruptcy-sell-itself-2025-03-24/) I can’t recall this ever happening before, where a state warned the general public that a particular company is about to go under. Is that a normal thing in California? Some specific genetics industry thing? Also, how sad. Guess that’s the end of an era. People had such hope for genetic testing and it was all for naught in the end… they didn’t even get any of therapeutics to market before they went bankrupt ☹ Too bad. At least the ancestry side of things is still interesting. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2025, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-posts-public-warning-the-day-before-23andme-goes-bankrupt/1016009/2 "2025-03-24T06:33:47Z")
Market capitalization 2021: ~$3.5 billion Market capitalization today: ~$48 million Ah, tech companies. The market giveth, the market taketh away. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2025, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-posts-public-warning-the-day-before-23andme-goes-bankrupt/1016009/3 "2025-03-24T10:39:19Z")
What was wrong with their business model? ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2025, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-posts-public-warning-the-day-before-23andme-goes-bankrupt/1016009/4 "2025-03-24T10:48:16Z")
No repeat customers. Your DNA doesn’t change, so you only need one test. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2025, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-posts-public-warning-the-day-before-23andme-goes-bankrupt/1016009/5 "2025-03-24T11:20:22Z")
I’ve said from the beginning that voluntary putting your DNA in a database is the most reckless thing ever. ---
**Author:** ![orcenio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/orcenio/32/1036_2.png) [@orcenio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/orcenio)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2025, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-posts-public-warning-the-day-before-23andme-goes-bankrupt/1016009/6 "2025-03-24T11:41:00Z")
What annoyed me was how far they were stretching the truth in interpreting people’s genes. You are % this, % that, % other. It’s remarkably detached from the actual data analysis process. Your genes are this % similar to an arbitrary profile we cooked up based on samples from peoples of various current regions of the globe, etc. Of course, and the privacy issues… THE PRIVACY ISSUES! ay. ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2025, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-posts-public-warning-the-day-before-23andme-goes-bankrupt/1016009/7 "2025-03-24T11:57:10Z")
Thanks for the heads up. I have downloaded all my data and deleted my account. I didn’t find the information they gave me to be as useful as I had hoped it would be. ---
**Author:** ![scudsucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scudsucker/32/14101_2.png) [@scudsucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scudsucker)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2025, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-posts-public-warning-the-day-before-23andme-goes-bankrupt/1016009/8 "2025-03-24T14:30:04Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > I’ve said from the beginning that voluntary putting your DNA in a database is the most reckless thing ever. Slightly related, but I would suggest putting your DNA in another person can be very reckless. There’s not much need for a massive database to identify possible matches. And would be much, much more accurate. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2025, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-posts-public-warning-the-day-before-23andme-goes-bankrupt/1016009/9 "2025-03-24T14:48:29Z")
> [@orcenio](#): > > What annoyed me was how far they were stretching the truth in interpreting people’s genes. You are % this, % that, % other. > > It’s remarkably detached from the actual data analysis process. Your genes are this % similar to an arbitrary profile we cooked up based on samples from peoples of various current regions of the globe, etc. I’m curious, they do a very similar background genetic analysis on the TV show Finding Your Roots, I wonder if the TV show was any more rigorous than this? Surely Henry Louis Gates Jr. wouldn’t be a party to serious truth-stretching. I’m trying to log in now, and the 2FA authorization code is not arriving in my email. It looks like I’m going to have to deal with “Customer Care” [[shudder]] ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2025, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-posts-public-warning-the-day-before-23andme-goes-bankrupt/1016009/10 "2025-03-24T15:17:37Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > I’m trying to log in now, and the 2FA authorization code is not arriving in my email. It looks like I’m going to have to deal with “Customer Care” [[shudder]] I think they’re getting flooded with cancellation requests. I was able to change my password and then log in, but I can’t get a verification code to delete my information, despite three tries. And now I can’t even log in. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2025, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-posts-public-warning-the-day-before-23andme-goes-bankrupt/1016009/11 "2025-03-24T15:43:11Z")
If you have an [Ancestry.com](http://Ancestry.com) account, don’t think you’re in the clear. It sounds like 23andMe made mistakes, but a lot of this is market conditions. Might be a good time to cancel your Ancestry account before they get swamped. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2025, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-posts-public-warning-the-day-before-23andme-goes-bankrupt/1016009/12 "2025-03-24T15:53:43Z")
I don’t, but I thought they were for looking up genealogy. Do you need to submit DNA to them, too? ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2025, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-posts-public-warning-the-day-before-23andme-goes-bankrupt/1016009/13 "2025-03-24T15:57:47Z")
They have a DNA component similar to 23. They may also have a thing where you enter genealogical records ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2025, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-posts-public-warning-the-day-before-23andme-goes-bankrupt/1016009/14 "2025-03-24T16:02:47Z")
> [@Reply](#): > > I can’t recall this ever happening before, where a state warned the general public that a particular company is about to go under. Is that a normal thing in California? Some specific genetics industry thing? I think this is a unique case, where people’s very personal information, connected to one’s health information, was not under the protection of HIPAA regulations, and is therefore very vulnerable to end up on the dark web. So, the California AG posted the warning. > [@orcenio](#): > > What annoyed me was how far they were stretching the truth in interpreting people’s genes. You are % this, % that, % other. Agree. I am not sure how this was much better than the DNA test you do for your dog for funzies. > [@dolphinboy](#): > > I didn’t find the information they gave me to be as useful as I had hoped it would be. My brother (adopted) did the 23andme DNA test via a promotion on [Ancestry.com](http://Ancestry.com) a few years ago, hoping to find his birth parents. It actually worked - he did find and connect with his birth mother and eventually his birth father, and the rest of the extended family. I think it was pretty amazing that DNA testing emerged as a consumer service but the sensitivity of the data collected and lack of regulation or oversight meant for me a hard no. Not that I was interested in this stuff anyway. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2025, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-posts-public-warning-the-day-before-23andme-goes-bankrupt/1016009/15 "2025-03-24T16:08:21Z")
I have no faith that asking them to remove your data actually removes your data more from incompetence than malice. I refused to take part too but my mom and sister did so I’m there by default. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2025, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-posts-public-warning-the-day-before-23andme-goes-bankrupt/1016009/16 "2025-03-24T16:16:08Z")
Just want to thank @Reply . I sent that article to my Mom and sister and they are going to remove their data. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2025, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-posts-public-warning-the-day-before-23andme-goes-bankrupt/1016009/17 "2025-03-24T16:43:37Z")
> [@Bear\_Nenno](#): > > No repeat customers. Your DNA doesn’t change, so you only need one test. Shortly after I bought a 23&me kit years ago, they switched to a two-tiered system, where you could either get basic ancestry information or pay more for additional health-related info (for example if you had genetic markers for certain kinds of diseases). For the last several years they’ve been trying to get me to upgrade my “basic” account. So I guess there are ways to squeeze a little more cash out of existing customers, but not much. ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2025, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-posts-public-warning-the-day-before-23andme-goes-bankrupt/1016009/18 "2025-03-24T16:52:08Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > Shortly after I bought a 23&me kit years ago, they switched to a two-tiered system, where you could either get basic ancestry information or pay more for additional health-related info (for example if you had genetic markers for certain kinds of diseases). For the last several years they’ve been trying to get me to upgrade my “basic” account. So I guess there are ways to squeeze a little more cash out of existing customers, but not much. Another major problem with these services is that when you do get these data about your genetic markers, there is usually nothing you can do about them. All this does is lead to unnecessary worry. Say the results show that you’re five times as likely as the general population to develop some sort of cancer. What good does it do to know that unless there’s some sort of treatment or prevention (which, in most cases, there isn’t)? ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2025, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-posts-public-warning-the-day-before-23andme-goes-bankrupt/1016009/19 "2025-03-24T16:58:54Z")
My oncologist seemed to find it useful for her understanding of my other risk factors and potential problems to watch for. So have I. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2025, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-posts-public-warning-the-day-before-23andme-goes-bankrupt/1016009/20 "2025-03-24T17:06:18Z")
> [@Ponch8](#): > > What good does it do to know that unless there’s some sort of treatment or prevention (which, in most cases, there isn’t)? There’s always starting testing earlier in life for the specific vulnerability. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-posts-public-warning-the-day-before-23andme-goes-bankrupt/1016009.md?page=2)