In 2006, Paul Cusenza, Linda Avey, and Anne Wojcicki, worked together to build a new company that would provide genetic testing and interpretation of those results. At the time, Wojcicki was married to Google co-founder Sergy Brin. Google invested $3.9 million in the company.
The company offered a new genetic testing service which not only allowed the discernment of ancestry-related results but also offered risk assessment for possible health-related problems due to one’s ancestry. The FDA considers genetic testing “medical devices” , which means that FDA approval was necessary to market them. 23andMe failed to respond to the FDA’s concerns and, for a time, was forced to release only ancestry-related results. 
Within a few years, however, the FDA and 23andMe, worked out their “misunderstandings” and approval to continue to sell the saliva-based kits was given. As of April 2017, FDA allowed marketing of 23andMe Personal Genome Service Genetic Health Risk (GHR) tests for 10 diseases or conditions. This marks the first time that the FDA has allowed direct to consumer tests to be conducted with FDA approval.
The company markets their product in the US, the UK, and Canada. As of September of 2017, the company has been listed as having a value of $1.5 billion. More than 2 million kits have been sold in the US alone.
In 2015, the company made a decision to NOT supply pharmaceutical companies with raw data, but rather to pursue the development of new drugs themselves.
Company headquarters are still located in Moutain View, California. 
In 2006, Paul Cusenza, Linda Avey, and Anne Wojcicki, worked together to build a new company that would provide genetic testing and interpretation of those results. At the time, Wojcicki was married to Google co-founder Sergy Brin. Google invested $3.9 million in the company.
The company offered a new genetic testing service which not only allowed the discernment of ancestry-related results but also offered risk assessment for possible health-related problems due to one’s ancestry. The FDA considers genetic testing “medical devices” , which means that FDA approval was necessary to market them. 23andMe failed to respond to the FDA’s concerns and, for a time, was forced to release only ancestry-related results.
History
Within a few years, however, the FDA and 23andMe, worked out their “misunderstandings” and approval to continue to sell the saliva-based kits was given. As of April 2017, FDA allowed marketing of 23andMe Personal Genome Service Genetic Health Risk (GHR) tests for 10 diseases or conditions. This marks the first time that the FDA has allowed direct to consumer tests to be conducted with FDA approval.
The company markets their product in the US, the UK, and Canada. As of September of 2017, the company has been listed as having a value of $1.5 billion. More than 2 million kits have been sold in the US alone.
In 2015, the company made a decision to NOT supply pharmaceutical companies with raw data, but rather to pursue the development of new drugs themselves.
Company headquarters are still located in Moutain View, California.
SCAM!!!!!! You gave me nothing I can use. You just hustled me for expensive upgrades. My son and I are fools to have trusted you!
Will not recommend you to anyone. You didn’t even give me info on my mother and father individually. Instead, you hustled me to spend a lot more money on upgrades. This is a scam and now I have to buy from other companies to get further information. I am disgusted!
All I want to do is change the password on my account so I can access I information. This is my Customer Service experience with your company.
7/30/2018
Marsha in Specialized Services – not sure what is happening with the password reset – but here is the timeline that I know and, as a customer, how I AM being treated:
This all started 10/02/2016 when I tried to rest my password. Since then I have not been able to receive the password reset emails from 23&me. Periodically I would try to reset it, but never could. My latest attempt was 7/02/18.
7/2/18 – called 800# & talked to Ellie. She suggested my email provider was blocking the 23&me emails & I should contact them to see why they were blocking them. Contacted my email provider. They confirmed that they were NOT blocking ANY emails to me & confirmed specifically 23&me emails were NOT being blocked.
7/3/18 – Called back & talked with Zack. Advised I had talked to my email provider & they confirmed they were not blocking 23&me email. Zack gave me the reference#2051667. He claims to have sent the email to reset my password again. Never got it. When I called back I spoke with Rook – at least he offered to send my situation to a ‘Specialized Team’. No reference # given.
Was traveling until 7/17/18 – when I returned home NO communication from 23&me. Called & spoke with Kim. Again she just wants to send me the standard reset email. She gave me confirmation #2082796
(At some point, & quite frankly I don’t remember who I was talking to, I tried to give someone another one of my email addresses so they could see if your emails would be received.) That idea was rejected.
7/17/18 – spoke with Kim. She told me to go to 23&me.com. Gave reference #2082796
7/19/18 – Spoke with Katie who still just wants me to wait for the ‘Special Team’ to review it. She gave me confirmation #2085632.
Kris is now referring me to the ‘Special Group’.
Then I spoke with you (Marsha) & you were able to send me an email from your computer that got thru to my email. You used the email address that I had offered in the beginning of all this mess that no one else would try – but funny thing is that ALL of my other email addresses roll up into this email address.
When I spoke with you on 7/19/18, you said you would send me the reset password email, which you did. I told you that I would be out of town for 6 days & remember asking you specifically if it was ok for me to wait until I got back to continue with this. (always before the reset email had a specific activation deadline. That’s why I never could use those before.) You told me ‘yes’ I could take my time’. Well I never realized that I was going to have to download a form and physically fill it out & mail it back (since I don’t have access to a fax & the form can not be completed on line and submitted electronically)
On 7/24/18 I completed & mailed the form back. Did you receive it? In the lower left hand corner I wrote your name thinking you would get it personally & contact me with what I was supposed to do next. Still waiting to know what I need to do now to reset my password.
BUT what I find particularly interesting, is WITHOUT changing my email address, between the time I spoke to you on 7/19/18 and 7/22/18 I received 2 emails stating that you had not received any response from me. Hmmmm. Now just how does that work again??? Oh yes – you sent them to the email address I wanted to change to! That I gave to several people weeks ago!
Not only that, but how did you think I was going to be able to TO DOWNLOAD the form, PRINT IT OUT, COMPLETE IT WITH PICTURE ID & MANUALLY MAIL OR FAX BACK when I don’t have a fax and I told you I was going to be out of town!?!?!?
Why would you send 2 emails asking for a response starting the DAY I spoke to you advising that I was going to be out of town for 6 days?
As far as I’m concerned 23&me is a real joke!! And not a funny one. If you or anyone else can read this email and think this is the best way for you to treat a customer, I want to have a conversation with that person so they can explain why this is good.
At the very least I deserve a heart felt apology and not an email. I hope this will cause you to look at the way you treat your customers and come up with ways to fix it.
Hope to hear from you tomorrow so I can get this resolved & I can get on with my life. Something this simple shouldn’t have been this difficult or taken this much time.
VERY UNhappy customer,
Shar Moore
602-670-XXXXX
PS of this writing – NO PHONE CALL from anyone at 23and Me as requested