23andYou: The 269th Evolutionary Lens with Bret Weinstein and Heather Heying

DarkHorse Podcast

In this week’s episode, we discuss 23andMe – what does its impending bankruptcy mean for data security, and why did people think their genetic data were secure before the company went into bankruptcy? As we protect existing rights laid out in the Constitution, we also need to innovate new protections in a world with new threats and possibilities. Going back to what was will not be sufficient. Then: Bobby Kennedy Jr. and anti-Semitism; and Columbia University’s response to the Trump administration as it tries to hang on to $400 million dollars in annual federal funding. Finally: it’s five years since our first Evolutionary Lens livestream—what did we say in that first episode? Were we right, or were we wrong?
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Mentioned in this episode:
23andMe initiates bankruptcy: https://investors.23andme.com/news-releases/news-release-details/23andme-initiates-voluntary-chapter-11-process-maximize
A midwestern Doctor considers 23andMe: https://x.com/midwesterndoc/status/1904446639537902014
RFK Jr tweet: https://x.com/seckennedy/status/1904259440544743427
Columbia University’s unsigned 4 page letter: https://president.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/content/03.21.2025%20Columbia%20-%20FINAL.pdf
DarkHorse Evolutionary Lens, episode 1, March 24, 2020: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ym-WGOq96G0
Ralston College’s Sophia Lectures: https://www.ralston.ac/events/the-sophia-lectures-with-bret-weinstein-and-heather-heying

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Chapters

1. Welcome to The Evolutionary Lens #269 (00:00:00)

2. Bret’s Message to Conservatives (00:00:00)

3. Sponsors: Brain.fm, Pique’s Nandaka, Caraway (00:03:55)

4. 23andMe in Chapter 11 and Data Security (00:17:31)

5. Interesting 23andMe’s Family in Tech Connections (00:24:57)

6. Bret & Heather’s Objections to 23andMe (00:26:06)

7. Genomic Indicators are Not Interesting (00:30:13)

8. Can you feel female? (00:43:59)

9. Bret’s Message to Conservatives (00:48:35)

10. Uses for Your Genome (00:50:30)

11. Where Should Privacy Start and End? (00:55:08)

12. iPhones: what should we be worrying about? (01:08:45)

13. “The Real Pandemic:” RFK Jr. & Antisemitism (01:10:31)

14. Columbia University’s Response to Trump’s Demands (01:22:08)

15. Evolutionary Lens: Looking Back After 5 Years (01:34:40)

16. Where to Find Bret & Heather IRL (01:46:56)