23andMe - 1792 Exchange

Rating Overview

23andMe is Medium Risk.

23andMe is Medium Risk. The company often yields to political activism in shaping corporate governance, potentially alienating consumers, dividing employees, and harming shareholders. The company implements race and identity-based policies that replace merit, excellence, and integrity with preferential treatment and outcomes. The company occasionally embraces corporate initiatives that redirect its central focus from business goals to partisan policies and divisive issues at times. This approach fails to safeguard free exercise, free speech, and free enterprise.

Rating Criteria

Corporate Weaponization Risk Levels
Criteria	Risk Level
Cancellations	Medium Risk
Discriminatory Philanthropy	No Data
Employment Protection	High Risk

Corporate Weaponization ⓘ

Corporate Governance and Public Policy Risk Levels
Criteria	Risk Level
Advocacy Bias	High Risk
Funding	High Risk
Political Actions	Lower Risk

Corporate Governance and Public Policy ⓘ

Rating Criteria Detail

Criteria Risk Level Rationale

Corporate Weaponization

Criteria:

Has canceled customers, suppliers, or vendors due to their political views or religious beliefs OR corporately boycotts, divests, or sanctions regions, people groups, or industries.

Risk Level:

Medium

Rationale:

In 2025, 23andMe was acquired by TTAM Research Institute. Prior to the acquisition, 23andMe had a history of divisive corporate policies and practices. It is unclear whether these causes or policies were retained, modified, or discontinued by TTAM Research Institute (1). 23andMe received a score of 30 on the 2025 Corporate Equality Index (CEI) from the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), a political stakeholder group. The company recruits employees based on sexual identity issues. The company discriminates against vendors that do not promote divisive sex and gender policies, indicating it prioritizes sexual issues over merit (2)(3). The company integrates DEI into its supply chain. From its Supplier Code of Conduct: “23andMe embraces diversity and equal opportunity as fundamental principles and key
components of its corporate strategy, and expects that all Suppliers do the same” (4). The company promotes divisive sex and gender policies. Its Supplier Code of Conduct requires international vendors to include sexual orientation and gender identity in their nondiscrimination policy (5). However, the company has not publicly canceled customers, suppliers, or vendors based on political views or religious beliefs (6).

Criteria:

Charitable giving (including employee matching programs) policies or practices discriminate against charitable organizations based on views or religious beliefs.

Risk Level:

N/A

Rationale:

23andMe does not publish charitable giving guidelines (1).

Criteria:

Employment policies fail to protect against viewpoint or other discrimination and/or are ideological in nature.

Risk Level:

High

Rationale:

23andMe requires its employees to take unconscious bias, allyship, microaggression, intersectionality, and DEI training (1). The company appears to prioritize diversity over merit in its recruitment, hiring, leadership composition, and supply chain. From its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion webpage: “We created a goal and process to include at least one candidate that identifies as female and at least one candidate that identifies as Black, LatinX, two or more races, Pacific Islander or Indigenous American for onsite interviews… We implemented Inclusive Interview Training for all hiring teams and it will be an ongoing requirement for new interviewers” (2). From its Corporate Governance Guidelines: “The Independent Directors actively seek candidates for the Board who embody
diversity in skills, abilities, industry knowledge, experience, gender, race, ethnicity, and veteran
and disability status, as well as such other factors considered useful depending on the needs of the
Company at such time. The Independent Directors and any search firm engaged to assist with
director recruitment must include women and minority candidates in the pool from which the
Independent Directors select director candidates” (3). From its 2022 ESG Report: “All suppliers complete a survey reporting their internal DEI
practices and policies and receive a DEI scorecard in return. These scorecards allow
23andMe to ensure we continue to add more diverse suppliers” (4). The company does not provide viewpoint protections for its employees (5).

Corporate Governance and Public Policy

Criteria:

Uses corporate reputation to support causes, organizations, or policies hostile to freedom of expression.

Risk Level:

High

Rationale:

23andMe has referred to itself as an “activist brand” (1). 23andMe has published statements advocating on behalf of postmodern gender theory and supporting life-altering hormone treatments for children (2)(3). The company opposed various state and local legislation intended to protect parental rights, girls’ sports, bathroom facilities, and gendered spaces (4). 23andMe opposed legislation in Iowa intended to protect parental rights, girls’ sports, bathroom facilities, and gendered spaces (5). The company opposed the Florida Parental Rights in Education Act, which would prohibit teaching gender identity and sexual orientation to kids in K-3rd grade (6). 23andMe is a member of the “Don’t Ban Equality” business coalition, which advocates against any abortion restrictions because they are “bad for business” (7). The company’s Chief Legal and Regulatory Officer, Kathy L. Hibbs, co-signed a letter to law firms demanding an improvement in diversity in order to retain business with the company (8). 23andMe CEO, Anne Wojcicki, signed the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion pledge, which includes a commitment to promote DEI through bias education training in the workplace, strategize on DEI programs/initiatives with other signatories, and engage boards of directors when developing and evaluating DEI strategies (9)(10). The company supports DEI within its business practices. From its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion webpage: “Diverse perspectives and an inclusive culture produce a highly energized work environment and solutions driven community. We are committed to living this ideal in our workplace” (11). The company supports ESG within its business practices. From its 2022 ESG Report: “Though we are in the early stages
of our ESG journey, 23andMe is mindful of our environmental impact and seeks to make our
business practices more sustainable” (12).

Criteria:

Uses corporate funds to advance ideological causes, organizations, or policies hostile to freedom of expression.

Risk Level:

High

Rationale:

23andMe has pledged support to Black Lives Matter and related causes (1)(2). The company has donated its products to the National Urban League (3). Otherwise, there are no publicly known cases of the company using corporate funds to advance ideological causes, organizations, or policies (4).

Criteria:

Uses corporate political actions and/or financial contributions for ideological, non-business purposes.

Risk Level:

Lower

Rationale:

23andMe does not operate a PAC at this time and has not used its lobbying for ideological purposes (1)(2)(3).