It was fun while the surprise Scandinavian heritage lasted. One of the biggest names in at-home genetic testing filed for bankruptcy, and announced the immediate resignation of its CEO, on Sunday after plummeting from unicorn status to nearly worthless in less than four years.

23andMe has lost 99% of its value since peaking at $6 billion after a SPAC merger that took it public in 2021. Its market cap now hovers around $20 million. The company also claims to have $100 to $500 million in assets…and $100 million to $500 million in debt.

What happened to this former unicorn?

23andMe launched the first at-home DNA ancestry test kit in 2007, cracked CNBC’s list of top 50 disruptors in 2016, and became a household name—aka, got mentioned in an SNL sketch—in 2019. But the buzzy company never managed to turn a profit after going public.

• 23andMe struggled to grow revenue on a business model that mainly relied on single-use test kits and supplementary subscription services. Efforts to expand into research and drug therapies largely didn’t take off.
• A monthslong data breach in 2023 affected nearly half of all 23andMe users (about 7 million people), undermining trust. Customers pulled out from the platform en masse, and the company agreed last fall to pay out a $30 million settlement.

23andMe plans to court bidders, and your genetic data could be up for grabs—personal information “may be accessed, sold or transferred” in a bankruptcy, according to the company’s privacy policy. Just-resigned CEO and co-founder Anne Wojcicki, who has said she would turn 23andMe into a drug developer, is pursuing the company as an independent buyer after she previously tried and failed to take it private several times.

In the meantime, California’s Attorney General and the president of the encrypted messaging app Signal have urged 23andMe customers to delete their data.—ML

Trump announces 25% tariff on countries that buy Venezuelan oil and gas. As of April 2, a day President Trump has dubbed “Liberation Day” for the economy, countries that buy oil from Venezuela will have to pay an additional 25% tariff on trade with the United States, the president said on Truth Social. Exactly what other tariffs might go into effect that day remains unclear. News outlets reported that the president would not impose blanket tariffs but would focus on more industry-specific ones, and even though reciprocal tariffs are still on the menu, there might be exemptions for some countries. But officials cautioned that the situation could still change. The president also said additional tariffs on cars and pharmaceuticals would be coming soon.

A journalist was accidentally included in secret war planning chat. Even worse than adding someone in a group chat about their own surprise party: Atlantic Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg was mistakenly included in a conversation among top US officials where they planned and debated military strikes on Houthi rebels in Yemen on the encrypted messaging app Signal. The National Security Council said the discussion, described in the magazine by Goldberg as including the secretary of defense and the vice president, “appears to be authentic,” and that it was looking into how the journalist’s number got added to it.

Trump admin asks SCOTUS to leave federal worker firings in place. The Justice Department is asking the Supreme Court to block a federal judge’s order requiring agencies to rehire about 16,000 staffers in probationary roles who were fired in recent mass layoffs aimed at slimming down the government. The former federal workers had been employed at the departments of Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, Defense, Energy, the Interior, and the Treasury. A San Francisco judge ruled in a lawsuit brought by their labor union that the government didn’t follow correct legal procedures when letting them go, and a judge in Maryland also issued a similar ruling.—AR

Elmo is feeling throttled, but this time it’s not Larry David’s fault. Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit studio behind Sesame Street, told employees that it is cutting its workforce by 20% to plug a $40 million shortfall projected for next year, the New York Times reported.

The move comes amid a unionization effort by staff and after HBO’s streaming service, Max, said it will stop carrying the iconic kids’ show starting in 2026.

Lifeline loss

HBO has paid Sesame Workshop up to $35 million annually since 2016 in exchange for new episodes hitting its catalogue months before they air on PBS:

• But now Max says it's deprioritizing youth programming including Sesame Street.
• The show has long been lauded by child wellbeing experts...but lately seems to have been snubbed by children in favor of other entertainment options. Nielsen ratings show today’s toddlers are more likely to clench the iPad with a death grip, mesmerized by Bluey, Peppa Pig, or a panoply of YouTube content.

NYT reports Sesame Workshop is in talks with Netflix, YouTube, and Amazon Prime Video, among other streaming services, in a prolonged push to find a new home for its muppets. It’s also seeking additional donor funding.

In the meantime…Sesame Street’s 56th season, due to start filming next month, will ditch the magazine format and will emphasize humor, music, and animation in a bid to win back 3-year-olds.—SK

US border security is seizing so many eggs at the US-Mexico border you’d think San Diego’s high school seniors were planning something sinister. Custom officials reported making 3,254 egg-related interceptions in the first two months of the year, up 116% from the same time last year.

The uptick comes as egg prices in the US have skyrocketed because of an avian flu outbreak ravaging US chickens. US farmers have had to slaughter 168 million birds since the start of the outbreak three years ago. Facing more than $8-per-dozen price tags, some shoppers are heading to Mexico to snag a carton for as little as $2.

• In most cases, people crossing the border surrender eggs willingly, not realizing the US Department of Agriculture bans these kinds of imports due to potential disease spread.
• But if border agents find hidden eggs or other poultry contraband, individuals can face $300 fines.

Could prices finally crack? US Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins said last week that NY wholesale egg prices fell 50% this month to $4.08 a dozen compared to a record high of $8.53 in February. But Rollins warned the upcoming Easter season and spring wild bird migration could push prices back up. If you’re really desperate for a cheap dozen, maybe try…your skincare brand?—MM

What’s the one thing with more hype than Ozempic and other weight-loss drugs? If you said AI, you’ve probably been following Europe’s stock markets (and everywhere else’s). Yesterday, German software-maker SAP dethroned Danish drug company Novo Nordisk to become the most valuable public company in Europe with a total value of €312 billion ($338 billion).

SAP’s stock has shot up 40% over the past 12 months as the company transitioned its focus away from selling licensed software to offering cloud-based subscription services and artificial intelligence features. Its success has helped bolster Germany’s market. Meanwhile, Novo—which has sometimes swapped places with luxury conglomerate LVMH at the top of Europe’s heap—has seen its stock fall 40% over the same period, as investors consider whether it has a next generation follow-up to blockbuster drugs Ozempic and Wegovy. Yesterday, a 1.5% rise for SAP and a 1.7% fall for Novo was enough to put SAP at No. 1.—AR