Many major new outlets including CNN and CNBC are reporting that consumer DNA testing company, 23andMe is laying off about 100 staff members which represent about 14% of their workforce. CEO Anne Wojcicki has attributed the cause to declining sales of their DNA kits.
The declining sales of 23andMe’s DNA testing kits is thought to be due to the natural decrease in “early-adopters” to the technology used for both health information and genetic genealogy. Privacy concerns over the use of consumer DNA kits has been another possible contributing cause.
It is unclear at this time what the future holds for 23andMe. However, as I have recommended in other DNA-related blog posts, it may be a good idea to download your raw DNA file and keep it available for future use as it can be uploaded to other DNA websites such as MyHeritage, FTDNA or GEDmatch.
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