DNA testing company 23andMe filed for bankruptcy on Sunday after struggling with the fallout from a significant data breach and weak demand for its ancestry testing kits, which once gained widespread attention, including being featured in Oprah Winfrey's annual list of favorite things.
The company has seen a sharp decline in market value, and its shares plummeted 46% to 96 cents on Monday, following the resignation of co-founder and CEO Anne Wojcicki.
Wojcicki's departure comes after several unsuccessful attempts to secure a buyout, with the company’s board rebuffing her efforts. She had previously sought investments from contacts, including her ex-husband Sergey Brin, co-founder of Google. On an interim basis, Chief Financial Officer Joe Selsavage will take over as CEO.
23andMe, which went public in 2021 at a $3.5 billion valuation through a merger with Richard Branson's SPAC, had faced stiff competition from other genetic testing firms like AncestryDNA, which was acquired by Blackstone Group. However, despite being a major player in the genetic testing market, the company experienced slowing sales and a damaging data breach in 2023 that exposed personal data from nearly 7 million customers. This breach contributed to a significant blow to its reputation, compounded by layoffs and a cessation of its therapy development programs.
In addition to the data breach, 23andMe reached a $30 million settlement in a lawsuit related to the incident. The company is now in the process of selling itself, having secured $35 million in financing on Sunday. However, the future of the company remains uncertain as it operates under bankruptcy protection while seeking potential buyers. It listed assets and liabilities between $100 million and $500 million.
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