Anne Wojcicki's nonprofit gets court approval to buy 23andMe for $305
million
[July 02, 2025] By
WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS
NEW YORK (AP) — Anne Wojcicki's bid to buy 23andMe, the genetic testing
company she cofounded nearly 20 years ago, has received the court
greenlight.
That means Wojcicki's nonprofit TTAM Research Institute will purchase
“substantially all” of San Francisco-based 23andMe's assets for $305
million. The transaction — which arrives more than three months after
23andMe filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy — is set to officially close in
the coming weeks.
“I am thrilled that TTAM will be able to build on the mission of 23andMe
to help people access, understand and benefit from the human genome,"
Wojcicki said in a statement Monday — later adding that, "the future of
health care belongs to all of us.”
The sale, which was approved by U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Brian C. Walsh on
Friday, marks the end of a monthslong bidding war between TTAM and
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals — a biotech company that had previously agreed
to buy most of 23andMe's assets for $256 million in May. But Wojcicki’s
nonprofit later topped that offer, winning the final round of bidding
held last month.
Under the deal, TTAM will acquire 23andMe's signature “Personal Genome
Service" provided through the company's saliva-based DNA testing kits —
as well as research operations and its Lemonaid Health subsidiary, a
telehealth services provider that 23andMe previously planned to wind
down.
Wojcicki had worked to take 23andMe private for some time. With the
company struggling to find a profitable business model since going
public in 2021, she's maintained that it would operate better outside
market pressures. But that endeavor proved to be tumultuous — notably in
September of last year, when all of 23andMe’s independent directors
resigned from its board citing a “clear” difference of opinion with
Wojcicki on the company’s future following drawn-out negotiations.
Leading up to 23andMe's March bankruptcy filing, subsequent efforts from
Wojcicki to acquire the company were unsuccessful. And when 23andMe
filed for Chapter 11 in late March, Wojcicki resigned as CEO — noting at
the time that she was stepping down to be “in the best position” as an
independent bidder.
Now that Wojcicki's nonprofit will acquire 23andMe, it's unclear whether
the co-founder will step back into the CEO seat. But despite stepping
down from the top post months ago, Wojcicki has remained on the
company's board throughout the bankruptcy process.
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 Beyond financial strains leading up
to 23andMe's bankruptcy, privacy concerns related to customers’
genetic information also emerged — dating back to even before the
bankruptcy process, notably with a 2023 data breach. But concern
what new ownership could mean for 23andMe users’ personal data has
bubbled up in recent months. The genetic testing business had about
13 million customers at the time of its sale hearing, court
documents note.
In June, 27 states and the District of Columbia
filed a lawsuit seeking to block the sale of personal genetic data
by 23andMe without customer consent. And in a memorandum opinion
outlining his approval 23andMe's sale to TTAM on Friday, Walsh
acknowledged these states' objections to the acquisition — but that
noted many had since been resolved. Still, California, Kentucky,
Tennessee, Texas, and Utah “remain actively opposed to the sale."
In a statement, California Attorney General Rob Bonta's office
maintained that 23andMe's sale “does not comply” with genetic
privacy law in the state — and said it was “disappointed” with the
court's approval.
“We are evaluating next steps and remain committed to protecting the
data of Californians,” Bonta's office added.
When announcing its intended sale to Wojcicki’s nonprofit last
month, 23andMe confirmed that TTAM “has affirmed its commitment” to
comply with the company privacy policies and applicable law. That
means TTAM will honor existing policies around consumer data, which
includes allowing users to delete their data and “opt out” of
research. The company added that TTAM will offer customers two years
of Experian identity theft monitoring at no cost.
23andMe reiterated those privacy policies on Monday. And Wojcicki
added that, “Core to my beliefs is that individuals should be
empowered to have choice and transparency with respect to their
genetic data and have the opportunity to continue to learn about
their ancestry and health risks as they wish.”
23andMe also said that all customers would be emailed before the
acquisition closes — with details on TTAM’s privacy commitments and
instructions on how to delete data or opt out of research. Those
emails appeared to begin going out on Tuesday, with a handful of
consumers sharing images of the message online.
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