How 23andMe is Helping People Better Understand Their DNA
Market research firm Kalorama Information estimates the consumer market for genetic health testing could triple by 2022. 23andMe's Director of Product Science Shirley Wu explains how the testing company is differentiating itself in this growing market.
"We are the only direct-to-consumer genetic testing company that provides health related information," said Wu. "We believe that everyone has the right to their own DNA information. It's information about you--you should know it if you want to know it."
23andMe CEO Anne Wojcicki has been outspoken about the company's efforts to maintain a gender-equal workforce. "It's been really great to be a part of a company like that where from the beginning we had really strong female leaders who set the vision for the company," says Wu. "There's never been a question of can women hold their own."
SES Holdings, a leader in production of high-performance hybrid lithium-metal rechargeable batteries for electric vehicles, has arrived on Wall Street. The company went public via SPAC deal and now trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker 'SES.' Qichao Hu, founder & CEO, joined Cheddar Movers to discuss the debut as well as what lies ahead for the company.
More than 70 religious leaders have come together to sign a letter to urge Mark Zuckerberg and Meta to halt plans for Instagram for Kids. The signers claim that this new platform, currently on pause, could cause spiritual harm to young people. Lucy Kidwell, the screen-free week coordinator for the nonprofit that organized the letter, Fairplay, joined Cheddar News to discuss the issue on Safer Internet Day. "It's not necessarily the content, even, that's on these platforms, but more the structure of the app itself," she said. "It's all focused on comparison, promoting yourself, putting forward this image of perfection and this beautiful life that's really harmful to kids who can't really separate what's real and what's fake and who may not be emotionally mature enough to handle something so complicated."
Amazon warehouse workers in Alabama are set to begin voting to unionize for a second time after workers at the facility in the town of Bessemer overwhelmingly voted against forming a union during an election early last year; but in November, the National Labor Relations Board overturned the vote, upholding a union challenge of the results which argued that Amazon undermined the conditions for a fair election. Another round of ballots will now be mailed out to works at the warehouse for a so-called re-run election. Director of Labor and Employment Studies at San Francisco State University John Logan and National Field Director for Our Revolution Mike Oles joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
February 8 is Safer Internet Day, and Google has partnered with online education organization Khan Academy to release a courseload focused on internet safety. The partnership includes a $5 million donation towards content development from Google, with modules to be made available in various languages throughout 2022. Founder of Khan Academy, Sal Khan, joined Cheddar News to discuss the partnership. "We need to get to a world where everyone of all ages has a chance to learn and practice and feel good that they can navigate the internet in a safe way,” said Khan.
Big tech companies such as Amazon and Google are garnering criticism for failing at their proposed climate pledges, most of which rely on carbon offsets — a potential loophole where companies pay others to address their omissions. Gilles Dufrasne, policy officer at Carbon Market Watch, joined Cheddar News to explain the organization's negative evaluation. "The objective here is not to bash companies and say everybody is doing the wrong thing," he said. "The objective is to also provide lessons, and there are some companies that are doing the right thing."
