Remember 23 and me? That DNA testing company that will tell you about your ancestry and genetics?

A few years ago, people were all over social media sharing their results.

I'm so nervous!

I literally think it's going to be like, it's going to pop up and be like, you're screwed.

And we recently got a bunch of 23 and me test kits

and I want to make everybody spit in a cup

so we can learn where we're from and I don't know potentially do something with that information.

I'm part European?

What? I'm 0.5% European.

Last year, our colleague Rolf Winkler

noticed something about 23 and me.

There were layoffs last year, three rounds of them,

and it just got us in the Bureau thinking this was a company that was huge a few years ago and

Quick you pull up the stock chart and whoa it's below a dollar.

Why does 23 and me's rise and fall

stand out? Great question. 90% of startups don't make it, but how many reach the kind of escape velocity that these guys reach in the public consciousness anyway?

It was one of the hottest consumer tech companies out there and then they just sort of

disappeared. Why?

Welcome to the Journal, our show about money, business and power. I'm Kate Leimbaw.

It's Tuesday, February 13th.

Coming up on the show, what happened to 23 and me. This

This episode is brought to you

...