23andMe is ending its cancer research program and slashing over 200 jobs

Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images23andMe is laying off 40 percent of its employees, or over 200 workers, as the company attempts to recover from last year’s massive data breach and reverse its plummeting stock price. The genetic testing company...

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Nov 12, 2024 - 21:01
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23andMe is ending its cancer research program and slashing over 200 jobs

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The genetic testing firm plans to license or sell the therapies it’s developing.

By Emma Roth, a news writer who covers the streaming wars, consumer tech, crypto, social media, and much more. Previously, she was a writer and editor at MUO.

Nov 12, 2024, 2:20 PM UTC

An image showing the 23andMe sign

Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

23andMe is laying off 40 percent of its employees, or over 200 workers, as the company attempts to recover from last year’s massive data breach and reverse its plummeting stock price. The genetic testing company also announced that it will shut down its therapeutics business.

Though 23andMe says the restructuring plan will cost it around $12 million, it expects to save more than $35 million as a result, while “substantially” lowering operating expenses. 23andMe’s therapeutics division, which studied potential cancer treatments using its database of genetic material, will end all clinical trials, as the company considers licensing agreements or asset sales to “maximize” the program’s value.

23andMe has had a turbulent past year, with the company confirming a data breach affecting 6.9 million users in 2023, revealing names, birth years, and ancestry information. In September, 23andMe agreed to pay $30 million to affected customers following a class action lawsuit. Meanwhile, all of 23andMe’s board members resigned after rejecting CEO Anne Wojcicki’s plan to take the company private.

“We are taking these difficult but necessary actions as we restructure 23andMe and focus on the long-term success of our core consumer business and research partnerships,” Wojcicki said in a statement.