Sunnyvale, California-based 23andMe, the privately-owned personal genomics and biotechnology company, has encountered a rough patch and has announced that it will be laying off approximately 100 employees in response to declining revenues. It appears that consumers are changing their attitude about DNA-testing services based on privacy concerns and the unauthorized use of their DNA profiles by law enforcement which can trace criminals through relatives with similar profiles. Of course, one of the major concerns is that the private database will be used by insurance companies to set premiums or the government to deny care under single-payer rationing plans.
According to a company spokesperson, “About 100 employees have been let go in departments across the organization in an effort to scale back on work that isn't core to the consumer testing and therapeutics businesses that 23andMe operates. The therapeutics team was not impacted by the layoffs..
Change is coming. There will always be a tomorrow, no matter how much you may try to ignore it. There are no guarantees in life or promises for a bright future. Just because something bad hasn't happened yet, doesn't mean it won't. It can happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere. No one is guaranteed to wake up tomorrow and still have a job by evening. Are you now wondering, Am I Next?