Anne Wojcicki facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Anne Wojcicki
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Wojcicki in 2017
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| Born | July 28, 1973 Palo Alto, California, U.S.
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| Education | Yale University (BS) |
| Known for | Co-founder and former CEO of 23andMe |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Children | 3 |
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Anne E. Wojcicki (woo-CHITS-kee; born July 28, 1973) is an American businesswoman. She is famous for helping start a company called 23andMe. This company helps people learn about their own DNA.
Contents
Anne Wojcicki's Early Life and School
Anne Wojcicki was born in Palo Alto, California. She is the youngest of three sisters. Her older sister, Susan Wojcicki, used to be the CEO of YouTube. Her other sister, Janet Wojcicki, studies health and people.
Anne's parents are Esther Wojcicki, a teacher and writer, and Stanley Wojcicki, a physics professor. He taught at Stanford University. The three sisters grew up right on the Stanford campus. When Anne was 14, she learned to figure skate. Later, she started playing ice hockey.
Anne went to Gunn High School in Palo Alto. She worked on the school newspaper, The Oracle. She even won a scholarship for her sports stories. In 1996, she earned a science degree in biology from Yale University. While at Yale, she played on the school's women's ice hockey team. She also did important science research at places like the National Institutes of Health.
Anne Wojcicki's Career Journey
After college, Anne Wojcicki worked as a healthcare advisor. She helped investment companies understand health care businesses. She spent four years looking at health care investments. She focused on companies that use biotechnology (science that uses living things).
Anne felt that the business world on Wall Street didn't care enough about health care. So, she decided not to go to medical school. Instead, she chose to focus on biological research.
Starting 23andMe: DNA for Everyone
Anne Wojcicki helped start and was the CEO of 23andMe. This company lets people get their own DNA testing done. It helps them learn about their family history and health risks. She started the company in 2006 with Linda Avey and Paul Cusenza. Their goal was to give everyday people access to their genetic information. This information could help find ways to treat or cure diseases.
Customers could buy testing kits from 23andMe. These kits gave information about their family background, health, and genetic traits. People would send in their saliva samples. The company would then process the DNA data. The results were posted online for the buyer to see.
The company's name, 23andMe, comes from the 23 pairs of chromosomes in a normal human cell. In 2008, Time magazine called the company's DNA test kit the "Invention of the Year."
Starting in 2015, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) began approving 23andMe's health tests. These tests could show risks for conditions like cystic fibrosis, sickle cell anemia, some cancers, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and coeliac disease. In 2018, 23andMe worked with GlaxoSmithKline to create new medicines.
In 2021, 23andMe became a public company. This made Anne Wojcicki a "self-made billionaire." By early 2024, the company's value had dropped. Anne offered to buy the company back and make it private again. However, the company's board of directors said no. All seven independent directors then left the board.
In March 2025, 23andMe filed for bankruptcy. Anne Wojcicki stepped down as CEO but stayed on the board. By June 2025, Anne Wojcicki bought back most of the company's assets. This deal gave her control of 23andMe again.
Other Business Activities and Awards
Anne Wojcicki is part of the Xconomists. This is a group of advisors for a tech news company called Xconomy. In October 2013, Fast Company magazine called her "The Most Daring CEO in America."
She also helped start the Breakthrough Prize. This award celebrates big discoveries in life sciences. In 2020, Forbes magazine listed her as one of the World's 100 Most Powerful Women. In August 2021, Anne joined the board of a company called Cazoo.
Anne Wojcicki has also been very involved in the downtown area of Los Altos, California. Around 2005, she and her former husband, Google co-founder Sergey Brin, bought several business properties there. They started a company called Passerelle Investment Company. This company supported events and plans to improve the downtown area. In 2016, the company changed its name to Los Altos Community Investments. It focused more on developing commercial buildings.
In 2021, Los Altos Community Investments opened a food hall called State Street Market. This project grew to include an arts-and-crafts store, a video arcade, and an indoor play space. The main goal was to create places where people could gather and have fun together.
Anne Wojcicki's Personal Life
Anne Wojcicki married Google co-founder Sergey Brin in May 2007. They have a son, born in 2008, and a daughter, born in late 2011. They separated in 2013 and divorced in 2015.
Anne and Sergey still work together on the Brin Wojcicki Foundation. They have given a lot of money to charities. For example, they donated to the Michael J. Fox Foundation and the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society. In 2022, Anne joined The Giving Pledge. This means she promised to donate most of her wealth to good causes. In July 2019, Anne Wojcicki had her third child, another daughter.
Her grandfather, Franciszek Wójcicki, was a politician in Poland. Her grandmother, Janina Wójcicka Hoskins, was a Polish-American librarian. She helped build the largest collection of Polish books and materials in the United States at the Library of Congress.
See also
In Spanish: Anne Wojcicki para niños
