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☆ 23andMe's business is basically worthless. Its CEO now wants to buy it.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Geoff Weiss | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

23andMe cofounder and CEO Anne Wojcicki wants to take the once-hot DNA company private. NEW LOOK Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Advertisement23andMe — the struggling DNA company once valued in the billions — was essentially worthless as of Wednesday. But in a filing late Wednesday, Anne Wojcicki revealed she wants to buy back the company she cofounded in 2006 and take it private. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers.

Persons: Anne Wojcicki, 23andMe, —, Wojcicki Organizations: Service, SEC, Business

☆ 23andMe CEO Anne Wojcicki considers taking company private
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Ashley Capoot | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Anne Wojcicki, the CEO of 23andMe , is considering a proposal to take the genetic testing company private after its stock price tumbled more than 95% from its 2021 highs. She "wishes to maintain control" of the company and will "not be willing to support any alternative transaction," the filing said. 23andMe went public in 2021 via a merger with a special purpose acquisition company, which valued the company at around $3.5 billion. The company's board of directors formed a "Special Committee" in late March to help explore options that could juice the stock. "The Special Committee is committed to acting in the best interests of 23andMe and its shareholders."

Persons: Anne Wojcicki, Wojcicki, 23andMe, Wells Organizations: Securities and Exchange Commission, Nasdaq, Department Locations: Wells Fargo

☆ Fed-up 23andMe users lash out at the company, accusing it of scamming them into auto-renewal
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Grace Eliza Goodwin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewIf you think you've been charged for a 23andMe subscription renewal even though you know you cancelled it, you're in good company. The Federal Trade Commission released over a hundred complaints that 23andMe users had submitted since the beginning of 2023, after Gizmodo submitted a FOIA request for the documents. In many of those complaints, some of which Gizmodo published, users detailed renewal practices that they considered dubious and unethical. I turned off the auto-renewal, which this company does not make easy to do and does not send a confirmation about. A spokesperson for 23andMe told Gizmodo that the company does send a notification to customers 30 days before their subscription is set to renew.

Persons: —, you've, Gizmodo, 23andMe, Reddit Organizations: Service, Fed, Business, Federal Trade Commission, 23andMe

☆ Palo Alto Networks shares drop most since 2012 IPO
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-21 | by ( Jordan Novet | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Nikesh Arora, CEO of Palo Alto Networks, speaks on CNBC's "Squawk Box" at the WEF Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 16, 2024. Palo Alto Networks shares dropped 28% on Wednesday, the worst trading session since the cybersecurity hardware and software maker's 2012 initial public offering. The company lowered its full-year billings outlook to a range of $10.1 billion to $10.2 billion, from $10.7 billion to $10.8 billion. The revenue guidance moved to a range of $7.95 billion to $8 billion, from $8.15 billion to $8.2 billion. WATCH: Chart of the Day: Palo Alto Networks

Persons: Nikesh Arora, Palo, Wells, Andrew Nowinski, Stefan Schwarz, Arora, — CNBC's Rohan Goswami Organizations: Palo Alto Networks, MGM Resorts, Defense, Systems, Rosenblatt Securities, Palo Alto Locations: Davos, Switzerland, 23andMe, U.S, Palo, billings

The near-absence of laws criminalizing the practice of fertility fraud until recently means no doctors have yet been criminally charged for the behavior. In 2019, Indiana became the second state, more than 20 years after California, to pass a statute making fertility fraud a felony. He added some of his biological children have “expressed gratitude for their existence” to him and even sent him photos of their own children. Cline’s case spurred lawmakers to pass legislation that outlawed fertility fraud but wasn’t retroactive, meaning he was never prosecuted for it. “In fertility fraud, no parent is saying that – no parent is saying I would have gotten an abortion,” she said.

Persons: Hill, –, Burton Caldwell, “, ” Hill, we’ve, ”, Jody Madeira, Laura Oliverio, wasn’t, Eve Wiley, Marvin Yussman, Yussman, Victoria Hill, ” Yussman, Dr, Donald Cline, general’s, Cline, Stephanie Bice, Mikie Sherrill, New Jersey Democrat –, Kelly Wilkinson, Katherine L, Kraschel, Julia T, Woodward, Laura High, we’re, ’ Let’s, it’s, let’s, OBGYN Narendra Tohan, isn’t, Tohan, ‘, Janine Pierson, Doreen Pierson, Caldwell –, Doreen, Alyssa Denniston, Caldwell, Pierson, ” Pierson, she’d, doesn’t, texted, Jamie LeRose, Maralee Hill, Victoria, Sean Tipton, Tipton, Caldwell “, didn’t Organizations: CNN, Indiana University, Savin Rock, CNN CNN, Netflix, Oklahoma Republican, New, New Jersey Democrat, Indianapolis Star, DC, Northeastern University, Duke University Health System, CNN Fertility, United, American Society for Reproductive Medicine, Seagulls Locations: Connecticut, Savin Rock Beach, West Haven , Connecticut, Indiana, California, Kentucky, Wethersfield , Connecticut, Oklahoma, New Jersey, Indianapolis, Wethersfield, New Britain, Madeira, Yale, Victoria, Hartford , Connecticut, Victoria Hill's, Norwalk, Norway, Germany, United States, Cheshire, New Haven

☆ I have the same last name as a celebrity, so people think we're related. I met him once and he asked if we could be.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-11 | by ( Michael Arkin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

But it comes with some pitfalls: In school, when my teacher called on Michael, six kids would answer. And it's my last name, Arkin, that always elicits the question, "Are you related to him?" As far back as I can remember, long before 23andMe could verify if we were or weren't related (were weren't), nearly everyone has asked that question or, better yet, "Are you one of the Arkins?" When I handed my credit card to the saleswoman, she looked at the name and asked the usual question. When he heard my name, his brow knitted, and with his signature intensity, he asked, "Do you think we could be related?"

Persons: David, Michael, Lucas, Reilly, Wyatt, Michel, Mischa, Miguel, It's, it's, I've, Alan Arkin, Michaels, Arkin, Alan, Adam, Oscar Organizations: Starbucks, Paramount Pictures, Marketing, Sundance Locations: United States

☆ This startup wants to find cancer faster with AI-powered full-body scans. See the 22-slide pitch deck that got Ezra $21 million.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Rebecca Torrence | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewLast August, Kim Kardashian posted on Instagram that she'd gotten a full-body MRI scan from the startup Prenuvo, which sparked a national conversation about the merits of preventive imaging. With Kardashian's help, the scans were finally making headlines — and healthtech startup Ezra felt their impact. "The day that Kim Kardashian got a scan, even though it wasn't an Ezra scan, our day-over-day revenue spiked," Ezra CEO and cofounder Emi Gal told Business Insider. Those tailwinds have propelled growth for Ezra, which partners with radiology clinics to perform full-body MRI scans. And, with Ezra's scans, that startup has "helped hundreds of people find cancer," he added.

Persons: —, Kim Kardashian, she'd, Ezra, Emi Gal, Amir Dan Rubin, Anne Wojcicki, Vlad Tenev, David Prior, Esther Dyson, — Gal, Ezra Flash, radiologists, Gal, We've Organizations: Service, Business, VC, FirstMark, Firms, Allianz Life Ventures, Mana Ventures, Ventures, Seedcamp, LDV Locations: Gaingels, Republic

☆ 23andMe considers splitting up company to revive stock price
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Ashley Capoot | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Shares of 23andMe sank 21% on Thursday, a day after the genetic testing company reported dismal fiscal third-quarter results and discussed splitting itself in two to help juice its stock price. 23andMe reported revenue of $45 million for the quarter, down from the $67 million it reported in the same period last year. The five-time CNBC Disruptor 50 company went public in 2021 via a merger with a special purpose acquisition company, a deal that valued the company at around $3.5 billion. The company has launched additional therapeutics and research businesses, but its share price has tumbled more than 95% from its peak. They lowered their target price for the stock to 85 cents from 90 cents.

Persons: 23andMe, Anne Wojcicki, Sergey Brin, Forbes, Joe Selsavage, Selsavage Organizations: TechCrunch, 23andMe, Nasdaq, U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, CNBC Disruptor, Citi, CNBC PRO Locations: San Francisco , California, 23andMe

☆ Premarket stocks: Main Street is still investing like it’s 2023
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Before the Bell spoke to Joe Mazola, director of Schwab Trader Education, about the growing importance of retail investors in markets, where Main Street is investing and why people are still enamored with Elon Musk. Why is it so important to single out retail investors and track where they’re putting their money? Is there a big difference between what retail investors and institutional investors are doing right now? That means the Fed is due to cut rates in 2024, which officials themselves projected in December. We just want some more confidence before we take that very important step of beginning to cut interest rates,” he told “60 Minutes” correspondent Scott Pelley.

Persons: Elon Musk’s, Tesla, Charles Schwab, Schwab, Bell, Joe Mazola, Elon Musk, Joe Mazzola, it’s, they’re, there’s, They’ve, Powell, Jerome Powell, “ We’ve, ” Powell, ”, Price, “, Scott Pelley, Read, 23andMe, Anne Wojcicki, ” Wojcicki, they’ve, Wojcicki Organizations: CNN Business, Bell, New York CNN, Tesla, Big Tech, Nvidia, Amazon, Microsoft, Devices, Schwab Trader Education, Elon, Treasury, Federal Reserve, Investors, CBS, Fed, Nasdaq, CNN Locations: New York, Street, Silicon Valley

☆ 23andMe is low on cash and its stock is worth pennies. The CEO wants another chance
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

New York CNN —Just three years ago, DNA testing company 23andMe was the golden child of Wall Street and Silicon Valley. In 2018, 23andMe agreed to a five-year exclusive drug development partnership with GSK (formerly GlaxoSmithKline). Genetic testing company 23andMe, once valued at $6 billion, is facing the possibility of delisting from NASDAQ. Justin Sullivan/Getty ImagesSo far, the partnership between GSK and 23andMe has produced more than 50 new drug targets. But drug discovery is a very long process and it can be anywhere from 10 to 15 years on average from target discovery to an FDA-approved drug.

Persons: New York CNN —, 23andMe, Anne Wojcicki, ” Wojcicki, “, Susan Wojcicki, Sergey Brin, Kyle Grillot, Wojcicki, they’ve, ”, we’re, “ We’ve, Steven Mah, TD Cowen, Mah, they’re, Justin Sullivan Organizations: New, New York CNN, Nasdaq, CNN, Stanford, Palo Alto High School, YouTube, Google, 23andMe Inc, Bloomberg, Time Magazine, P Biotech ETF, GSK, GlaxoSmithKline, NASDAQ, Big Pharma, it’s Locations: New York, Silicon Valley, Los Angeles , California, U.S, London, Sunnyvale , California, United States

☆ Exclusive: Organic baby food startup Yumi has slashed its valuation after running low on cash
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Ben Bergman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Yumi, a startup backed by a long list of prominent Silicon Valley investors that makes high-end organic baby food, is raising a down round that values the company at around $40 million, Business Insider has learned. The funding represents a substantial discount from Yumi's Series B round in 2021, which valued the company at more than $300 million, according to Pitchbook data. It also means Yumi has burned through more than twice as much cash, nearly $90 million dollars, as it is currently worth. Startup fundraising tumbled to a five-year low in 2023 with funding for e-commerce and shopping startups down 60%, according to Crunchbase data. Convoy, the freight startup that was once called the "Uber for trucking" and raised more than $1 billion, shut down in November.

Persons: Yumi, Evelyn Rusli, Angela Sutherland, Gerber, Sutherland, Rusli, Anne Wojcicki, Gabrielle Union, Warby Parker, Goldman Sachs, Christina Minnis, Kelly Coffey, Masha Drokova, Lauren Dillard Organizations: Business, BI, Walmart, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, New Enterprise Associates, Uber, City National Bank, One Ventures, Nasdaq, Startup, Convoy, Olive Locations: millennials

☆ 23andMe took 5 months to realize hackers had stolen data from customer accounts
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Advertisement23andMe customer accounts were breached by hackers last year, but it took the DNA testing company five months to detect the intrusion. The company learned about the attack after stolen customer data was advertised on Reddit, as well as on the darkweb forum BreachForums, per the filing. The filing stated: "On October 10, we required all 23andMe customers to reset their password. 23andMe previously told Business Insider that the hackers gained access to customer data through " credential stuffing ." 23andMe didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider, made outside normal working hours.

Persons: 23andMe, didn't, —, 23andMe didn't Organizations: Service, TechCrunch, Business

The genetic testing company 23andMe is being accused in a class-action lawsuit of failing to protect the privacy of customers whose personal information was exposed last year in a data breach that affected nearly seven million profiles. The lawsuit, which was filed on Friday in federal court in San Francisco, also accused the company of failing to notify customers with Chinese and Ashkenazi Jewish heritage that they appeared to have been specifically targeted, or that their personal genetic information had been compiled into “specially curated lists” that were shared and sold on the dark web. The suit was filed after 23andMe submitted a notification to the California Attorney General’s Office that showed the company was hacked over the course of five months, from late April 2023 through September 2023, before it became aware of the breach. According to the filing, which was reported by TechCrunch, the company learned about the breach on Oct. 1, when a hacker posted on an unofficial 23andMe subreddit claiming to have customer data and sharing a sample as proof. The company first disclosed the breach in a blog post on Oct. 6 in which it said that a “threat actor” had gained access to “certain accounts” by using “recycled login credentials” — old passwords that 23andMe customers had used on other sites that had been compromised.

Persons: 23andMe, ” Organizations: California Attorney General’s, TechCrunch Locations: San Francisco, California

☆ Orchid tests embryos for genetic diseases. It just raised $12 million with this 11-slide pitch deck.
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Riddhi Kanetkar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Orchid, a startup that tests embryos for genetic diseases, has just raised $12 million. "The way that IVF and embryo screening works today is the amount of information available is really limited," Orchid CEO and cofounder Noor Siddiqui said. Genetic testing has been around for years, but it has been usually limited in the diseases it can identify, which include cystic fibrosis, Bloomberg reported. Orchid produces reports with two types of genetic testing: monogenic and polygenic. The cost of the test depends on the number of embryos that Orchid tests.

Persons: Noor Siddiqui, Siddiqui, Orchid, Dylan, Anne Wojcicki, Fidji Simo, Peter Kraft Organizations: Business, Bloomberg, Prometheus Fund, Starbloom Capital, One Ventures, Los Angeles Times Locations: San Francisco, Pebblebed

☆ 23andMe data breach affects nearly nearly 7 million 23andMe customers
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Sean Lyngaas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —A hacker or hackers have accessed nearly seven million profiles of 23andMe customers, a spokesperson for the genetic testing firm told CNN on Tuesday, including in some cases users’ ancestry reports, zip codes and birth years. In addition, the hackers accessed a subset of family tree information on 1.4 million DNA Relatives profiles, the 23andMe spokesperson said in an emailed statement. In the case of 23andMe, the hackers reused old usernames and passwords from other websites to break into 23andMe customer accounts — a rudimentary but effective technique called credential stuffing. The 23andMe spokesperson, who declined to be named, did not respond to questions about who carried out the hack. “We have taken steps to further protect customer data, including requiring all existing customers to reset their password and requiring two-step verification for all new and existing customers.”

Persons: Okta, 23andMe, ”, “ Organizations: CNN, Securities and Exchange Commission, Engadget Locations: 23andMe

☆ Parents who raised highly successful children say you need to do these 3 things
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Kristina Puga | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

They also advised modeling hard work and integrity. Three parents whose kids grew up to be impressive adults say parents should do three things to raise successful children. 1 goal was to teach them to believe in themselves, and I started that when they were born," Wojcicki told Business Insider. Martinez said she had her sons work as early as 7 years old, even if just for a few hours. She said they worked the coat check at her restaurant because she wanted them to learn the value of hard work and independence.

Persons: who've, —, Esther Wojcicki, Susan, Anne, Janet, Wojcicki, Mister Rogers, Zarela Martinez, Aarón Sánchez, Martinez, Ana, who'd, Pico Rivera, Cristian, Alex, César Jr, Roldán, childhoods Organizations: Service, Palo Alto High School Media Arts, YouTube, Business, Los Angeles ., Major League Soccer, Seattle Sounders, LA Galaxy Locations: New York, Guatemala, El Salvador, Pico, Los Angeles

☆ Patients are lining up for $2,500 full-body MRI scans that can detect cancer early
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Ashley Capoot | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

Prenuvo MRI machine Courtesy of PrenuvoWhile celebrating the July Fourth holiday last year on a boat in Tyler, Texas, Dr. Julianne Santarosa received the results from her full-body MRI scan. In addition to full-body scans, Prenuvo offers a head and torso scan for $1,800 and a scan of just the torso for $1,000. Some companies have started offering Prenuvo scans as a perk for employees, which has helped increase access to the technology. Medical experts caution that, in addition to the steep price, full-body MRI scans won't catch everything and aren't meant to replace targeted screenings like colonoscopies and mammograms. He found a radiologist who was offering an early version of a full-body MRI scan.

Persons: Julianne Santarosa, hadn't, she'd, Santarosa, Kim Kardashian, Cindy Crawford, Eric Schmidt, 23andMe, Anne Wojcicki, Tony Fadell, Andrew Lacy, Lacy, it's, Prenuvo, Jasnit, Dr, Kimberly Amrami, Amrami, It's, Prenuvo Lacy, Eduardo Dolhun, Dolhun Organizations: CNBC, Facebook, Google, Nest Labs, Felicis Ventures, U.S . Food, Drug Administration, Association of American Medical Colleges, Columbia University Medical Center, Mayo Clinic Rochester, Mayo Clinic Locations: Tyler , Texas, Prenuvo, Dallas, U.S, Canada, London, Sydney, New York, Los Angeles, Irving, New York City , New York, York, San Francisco, Vancouver, British Columbia

☆ October slammed biotech stocks, and these 3 hedge funds couldn't escape the pain
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Bradley Saacks | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Biotech hedge funds couldn't escape a tough October, sources told Insider. Managers like Perceptive Advisors and RTW Investments lost more than 9% in just a month's time. While big-name hedge funds were able to avoid some of the market's pain last month, biotech specialists were hit hard. Some funds, including Perceptive Advisors, RTW Investments, and San Francisco-based Redmile Group, had a tough October thanks to pain across the biotech space, according to sources familiar with their performance. The flagship fund at $8 billion Perceptive Advisors, run by billionaire Joseph Edelman, lost 9.5% in the month, bringing its yearly performance to a loss of 8.7%.

Persons: Joseph Edelman, Davidson Kempner, Roderick Wang Organizations: Biotech, RTW Investments Locations: Moderna, San Francisco

Its "SmartListen" feature uses patented AI-powered voice control to allow users to interact with videos in real-time. Adventr founder Devo Harris was previously a Grammy award-winning producer and music executive, who worked with artists like Kanye West and John Legend. The following week, Harris uploaded the same video but added interactive buttons so users could choose which scene to watch next. 23andMe used Adventr to let its customers ask a video of a genetic counselor whether they're likely to inherit a disease their parent has, for example. In the next six to 12 months, Harris says Adventr wants to incorporate more large language models and generative AI technology to make its voice controls more sophisticated.

Persons: Adventr, Devo Harris, John Legend, Siri, Kanye, Harris, X, 23andMe, they're Organizations: Paladin, Reinventure, Ventures, YouTube, Chevy, Disney, Twitter Locations: York, Adventr, Paris

SEATTLE (AP) — An Idaho woman is suing her one-time fertility doctor, saying he secretly used his own sperm to inseminate her 34 years ago — the latest in a string of such cases brought as at-home DNA sampling enables people to learn more about their ancestry. He charged $100 cash for each of several treatments, saying the money was for the college or medical students who were donating the sperm, the lawsuit said. But the newspaper reported that Claypool claimed he had no knowledge of the allegations and didn't know Sharon Hayes. “But this is the first I’ve heard of anything in 40 years.”A number of cases of “fertility fraud” have arisen as online DNA services have proliferated. A Colorado jury awarded nearly $9 million to three families who accused a fertility doctor of using his own sperm to inseminate mothers who requested anonymous donors.

Persons: Sharon Hayes, David R, Claypool, Brianna Hayes, 23andMe, “ It's, ”, Hayes, Drew Dalton, Dalton, didn't, “, ” Claypool, RJ Ermola Organizations: SEATTLE, Spokane County Superior Court, Associated Press, AP, Claypool, Seattle Times, New York Times, Netflix Locations: An Idaho, Hauser , Idaho, Spokane , Washington, Spokane County, U.S, Indiana, Colorado

☆ 23andMe notifies customers of data breach into its 'DNA Relatives' feature
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( Zeba Siddiqui | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct 24 (Reuters) - Genetics testing company 23andMe (ME.O) on Tuesday sent emails to several customers to inform them of a breach into the "DNA Relatives" feature that allowed them to compare ancestry information with users worldwide. In the new emails, a copy of which was seen by Reuters, 23andMe told customers there was a breach of one or more accounts connected to theirs through the "DNA Relatives" feature. "There was unauthorized access to one or more 23andMe accounts that were connected to you through DNA Relatives," the company told customers in the email on Tuesday. "As a result, the DNA Relatives profile information you provided in this feature was exposed to the threat actor." loadingEarlier, the company had said hackers may have used credentials leaked from other websites to breach 23andMe accounts - a technique known as 'credential stuffing'.

Persons: 23andMe, Katie Watson, Alexandra Ulmer, David Gregorio Our Organizations: FRANCISCO, Reuters, Thomson Locations: U.S, San Francisco

☆ US senator asks 23andMe for details after reported data for sale online
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Attendees purchase DNA kits at the 23andMe booth at the RootsTech annual genealogical event in Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S., February 28, 2019. REUTERS/George Frey/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Oct 20 (Reuters) - The top Republican on the U.S. Senate's health committee has called on the chief executive of 23andMe (ME.O) to provide the panel with details after data from the family genetics website was advertised for sale on the dark web. Senator Bill Cassidy, the ranking member on the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, expressed concerns in a letter to CEO Anne Wojcicki, and asked for more information. A hacker advertised 23andMe data earlier this month, but 23andMe said in a statement that the company itself had not been breached. Reporting by Susan HeaveyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: George Frey, Bill Cassidy, Anne Wojcicki, 23andMe, Susan Heavey Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Republican, 23andMe, Senate Health, Education, Labor, Pensions, Thomson Locations: Salt Lake City , Utah, U.S

☆ User data stolen from genetic testing giant 23andMe is now for sale on the dark web
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-07 | by ( Lakshmi Varanasi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

User data from 23andMe accounts has been leaked and put up for sale on a dark web forum. The data appears to have been gathered from user credentials that were exposed in prior data breaches, and the company's security systems have not been breached, according to 23andMe. In other words, the hackers plugged in leaked username-password combinations into 23andMe accounts in a technique known as "credential stuffing." Those with European or Ashkenazi ancestry are likely to have many matches via the DNA Relatives feature compared to people with Asian or Middle Eastern ancestry, 23andMe also notes on its website. The company — which shares anonymized user data with their consent with third parties — is encouraging users to enable multi-factor authentication to prevent further attacks.

Persons: —, Mark Zuckerberg, Sergey Brin, Elon Musk, Anne Wojcicki —, Susan Wojcicki, 23andMe Organizations: Service, Wired

Attendees visit the 23andMe booth at the RootsTech annual genealogical event in Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S., February 28, 2019. REUTERS/George Frey/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Oct 6 (Reuters) - A hacker is advertising millions of "pieces of data" stolen from the family genetics websites 23andMe, according to posts made to an online forum where digital thieves often advertise leaked data. "We do not have any indication at this time that there has been a data security incident within our systems," the statement said. A second layer of password protection, known as two-factor authentication, can also help frustrate these kinds of hacks. Reuters could not immediately find a way to contact the hacker, at least one of whose posts has since been removed from the forum.

Persons: George Frey, Raphael Satter, Chris Sanders Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Thomson Locations: Salt Lake City , Utah, U.S

☆ Our crisis of loneliness, the new bet investors are going after
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( Rebecca Ungarino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

Not long after founding the startup, Gaon shared his vision with famed venture capitalist Marc Andreessen. It was notable to Gaon at the time that Andreessen — "one of those investors who's known for seeing where the market is going" — appeared to have pinpointed loneliness as its own market. That moved her parents, Cindy and Anne Jordan, who had sold their first healthtech company years before, to found the Arizona company Pyx Health. "The loneliness crisis is bigger, and more urgent, than anything I've worked on before," Nyborg wrote in a blog post. Inspired debuted a thesis in 2020 that identified loneliness as a key focus for the firm to invest in.

Persons: Benjamin Gaon, Boaz Gaon, Benny, Gaon, Marc Andreessen, Andreessen, Wisdo, —, Anne Wojcicki, Marius Nacht, Andreessen Horowitz, Vivek Murthy, Betsy Hoover, Bumble, Rylie Sarabia, Cindy, Anne Jordan, policyholders, Dawn Owens, it's, Owens, Julie Rice, Elizabeth Cutler, Rice, Peoplehood, Phil Levin, Levin, Culdesac, Renate Nyborg, I've, Nyborg, Hugo Amsellem, He's, Ava, Catalyst, Nate Tepper, Tepper, Adam Besvinick, Frances Haugen, Hoover, Alexa von Tobel, von Tobel, David Spinks Organizations: Pyx, Labs, verve, Investors, Pyx Health, TT Capital Partners, New, Khosla Ventures, Sequoia Capita, AI Fund, NEA, AIs, Looking Glass, Anonymous, Glass, Facebook, Bloomberg Locations: Arizona, Minneapolis, New York, Ava, France, Peoplehood, Hopscotch

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