For more than 15 million people, taking a 23andMe test once seemed like a good idea.  For around 80% of customers, their interaction with the company went even further—they opted to have their data used in health research.

Just months after it started trading on the Nasdaq in June 2021, the company was valued as high as $5.8 billion. As of Friday, the firm’s shares were worth less than a dollar.

Following the firm’s bankruptcy, researchers hope that they will be able to continue accessing the valuable data set even if it is sold to new owners.

Would you trust a company with your most personal data — your DNA — if it was on the brink of collapse? Millions of 23andMe customers are now facing that unsettling reality as the genetic testing company faces an uncertain future.

The bankruptcy underscores the great risks of investing in many of the companies that have gone public via mergers with special-purpose acquisition corporations.

In a March 31, 2025 letter, the Chair of the FTC, Andrew Ferguson, wrote to the Acting U.S. Bankruptcy Trustee and set out the FTC’s expectations

Genetic testing company 23andMe's bankruptcy has led to a new consumer privacy issue: what happens to the DNA of millions of Americans when it goes on sale?

Various factors seem to have contributed to 23andMe’s decline. Its kits are a one-time product, so there is little prospect of repeat sales. In the absence of significant revenue from selling access to its datasets,