Anne Wojcicki is an American entrepreneur best known as the co-founder and former CEO of 23andMe, the pioneering personal genomics company that revolutionized direct-to-consumer DNA testing.
Born on July 28, 1973, in Palo Alto, California, she is the youngest of three sisters raised in a intellectually stimulating environment near Stanford University.
Her parents, Esther Wojcicki, a renowned educator and journalist, and Stanley Wojcicki, a Polish-born physics professor emeritus at Stanford, fostered a household that encouraged independence, curiosity, and high achievement.
This upbringing played a significant role in shaping the remarkable careers of all three Wojcicki sisters.
Siblings
Anne’s siblings are her older sisters Susan Wojcicki and Janet Wojcicki.
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Susan, the eldest, was a prominent tech executive who spent over two decades at Google, including serving as CEO of YouTube from 2014 until early 2023; she tragically passed away in August 2024 at age 56 from lung cancer.
Janet, the middle sister, is an accomplished anthropologist, epidemiologist, and professor of pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco, where she focuses on public health issues such as obesity, HIV, and child health disparities.
Career
Wojcicki’s career began after she graduated from Yale University with a Bachelor of Science in biology in 1996.
She initially worked on Wall Street in healthcare investing, specializing in biotechnology companies, but grew disillusioned with the industry’s approach to health and prevention.
In 2006, she co-founded 23andMe alongside Linda Avey and Paul Cusenza with the mission to make genetic information accessible to the public.
The company allowed individuals to submit saliva samples for analysis of ancestry, genetic traits, and health risks, while also contributing anonymized data to research.
Under Wojcicki’s leadership, 23andMe grew into a major player in consumer genomics, raising significant funding, going public in 2021 via a SPAC merger, and advancing personalized medicine.
She stepped down as CEO in March 2025 following the company’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing, though she remained involved in efforts to guide its future direction.
Accolades
Wojcicki has received numerous accolades for her innovative contributions to biotechnology and personalized health.
She has been recognized on Forbes’ list of America’s Richest Self-Made Women and hailed as one of the top CEOs for women by platforms like Glassdoor.
Her work has earned praise for democratizing genetic insights and fostering advancements in research through large-scale data collection.
Additionally, she has been featured in profiles highlighting her role in bridging consumer technology with healthcare.
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