The DNA Test Delusion

For years, I had been hearing people in the genetic testing industry say that the DNA testing revolution was just around the corner—that this year would finally be the year it changed everything. After a decade or so of this, I started to wonder whether that revolution was ever actually going to come. It turned out that many scientists in the field had also started to wonder the same thing.

In this magazine cover story for Bloomberg Businessweek, I tell the story of the rise and fall of genetic testing through the story of 23andMe. In it, I predict that the genetic testing revolution was never going to come, because it turned out to be of little use to the average person. A few months later, the company filed for bankruptcy.

(Beautiful art by Saratta Chuengsatiansup for Bloomberg Businessweek)