broke

12 million people delivered their DNA to 23Andme. The company broke and its data are about to change hands

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For years, spitting in a tube was the first step of an irresistible promise: discovering your roots, knowing your genetic predispositions, even finding family members lost by the world. Everything without moving home. The company behind that phenomenon was called 23ndmeand achieved something unusual: to turn genetics into a mass consumption product. That story has just turned. Regeneron Pharmaceuticals has reached an agreement to acquire the main assets of 23Andme for 256 million dollars, According to the official statement published by the pharmacist. It is a transaction that must still be approved by the Banking Court and by US regulators. At stake is a platform that has managed the DNA of millions of people worldwide. An announced end. The 23Andme fall has not been sudden. In recent years, the company went from being valued at more than 6,000 million dollars to fight for its own survival. His commitment to a more ambitious model – based on developing medicines, offering medical consultations by subscription and expanding digital health services – did not set. As details The Wall Street Journalthe company burned more than one billion dollars and ended up offering part of its assets in limit conditions. The sales agreement does not cover the entire business. Regeneron would keep the essential: the direct genomics service to the consumer, its biobanco of genetic samples and the research and total health divisions. The telemedicine subsidiary Lemonaid Health is left out, acquired in its day for 400 million dollars, whose closure will be made in an orderly manner outside this operation. Privacy: The real battlefield. The operation has re -placed privacy in the center of the debate. Regeneron has promised to respect current data use policies and has committed to undergoing independent scrutiny, as established by the judicial framework of the process. Even so, doubts persist on how one of the world’s largest genetic databases will be managed. The suspicion is not new. In 2023, 23Andme was a victim of a massive data filtration which affected 6.9 million people. As TechCrunch revealedthe attackers accessed the profiles of those who had activated the function of “genetic family”, obtaining names, locations and percentages of shared DNA between relatives. The company attributed the incident to the reuse of passwords by users, but the damage was already done. Anne Wojcicki, the face of an era. The 23Andme story cannot be told without mentioning Anne Wojcicki. Co -founder, visible face, visionary of personalized health and, at the same time, responsible for business decisions that led to collapse. His plan was to convert the company to an integral provider of medical services, but this did not prosper. He tried to recover control, but his power vanished with the beginning of the judicial process. According to WSJtheir actions with preferential vote were annulled and their offers rejected by the Board of Directors. Wojcicki opted everything to DNA as strategic assets. And for a while it seemed right. The company that helped to found transformed the way millions of people related to their health. It also showed to what extent a genetic database can become a mined field of legal, ethical and technological risks. A new stage, the same questions. Regeneron aspires to keep a powerful platform, a still recognized brand and an immense volume of genetic information. In its official statement, he affirms that his intention is to maintain service for current users and continue to develop new ways for personalized medicine. Images | 23ndme In Xataka | We have visited the place where the demographic hopes of Spain are literally deposited: the Semen Bank of Granada

The Bugatti Veyron broke with everything thanks to a brutal engine. One that was born with some scribbles painted at 320 km/h

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Year 2005. Spain sings unleashed “El Nano” De Melendi. No doubt luked by Fernando Alonso, The Renault Mégane was the best selling car That year. It entered into force Euro 4 That, we did not know yet, but it would be the border that now marks what diesel cars can receive the DGT’s sticker. But while Renault lives a golden era chaining two pilot titles in Formula 1, in Europe they are to other things. Those things represents them well Volkswagen, who will present 20 years ago a unique car that marked a before and after in the history of the car: the Bugatti Veyron. A car that was born before, drawn on a 320 km/h paper. Because the origin of Bugatti Veyron must be looked for in a Japanese Shinkansen. Almost a decade before. Paper and Boli at 320 km/h Year 1997. Ferdinand Piëchgrandson of Ferdinand Porsche, directs the Volkswagen Group. His career supports him. He has played a fundamental role in the victories of Porsche in Le Mans, in the six -cylinder boxer engine for the Porsche 911 and in the Quattro de Audi traction. Piëch travels in the wagon of a shinkansen, The Japanese bullet train that reaches 320 km/h. At that time, Japanese high -speed railway lines seem to arrive from the future. Next to him is Karl-Heinz Neumann, head of motor development of the Volkswagen Group, which shows a completely crazy idea to which he has been trying to shape in his head. To explain the ideas on paper, an engine with 18 cylinders. What would happen if you take three VR6 motors from Volkswagen and put it online? Piëch is clear, would transform an engine that is already one of the jewels of the market and the group into a masterpiece. A engine of more than 600 hp. Enough to get its great ambition to put on the street a car that exceeds 400 km/h. The problem is that it would be a development and a product so expensive that there is no way to fit it in one of the group’s brands. That is why the company is behind a new brand to turn its flag. Its impossible engine must arrive from the hand of a brand that represents the most extreme luxury. Rolls-Royce It is the chosen one. But at the auction for acquiring the company, BMW advances to its buyatiots. In an exploitation license game, Volkswagen reaches an agreement with Vickers but it is a wrong decision because this group has the right of exploitation but the company is owned by Rolls-Royce Holdings PLC, the Motor Manufacturer for Aircraft. It is with them with whom BMW reaches an agreement. Aware that they cannot do anything, Volkswagen ends up selling the rights of the spirit of ecstasy, The mythical figure that Rolls-Royce cars look on the front. They count on Motorpasion that fate seems to have changed because on a visit to Mallorca, Piëch’s son asks his father to buy him a reply of a Bugatti Type 57 SC Atlantic. The mandamás is clear, it is time to buy Bugatti, a brand that had fallen in bankruptcy after a first attempt to return his former French aura. With the purchase in 1998, Giorgetto Giugiaro is incorporated, who had directed the design of the Bugatti EB112 in command of Italdesign. In a few months, Bugatti already presents prototypes with the famous W18 devised by Piëch. But it is in September of the year 2000 when the first sketch of the Veyron is finally seen. We talked about the Bugatti EB 16.4 Veyron that left aside the W18 to unite two V8 and thus give life to the very well known W16. The engine, unlike the version with 18 cylinders that was atmospheric, uses four turbocompressors. A few months later, Bugatti confirms a decision that seemed out of science fiction: he would manufacture the car in a limited roll. The figures were unthinkable for the time. The W16 8.0 engine generated 1,001 hp of power, reached 401 km/h peak speed and delivered a 1.250 nm motor torque. To understand the challenge facing Volkswagen in his idea of ​​breaking the barrier of the 400 km/h, the McLaren F1 It had stayed at 386 km/h of peak speed but that record was in force since 1994. We would have to wait until 2005 to see on the street the first Bugatti Veyron that broke, as anticipated, the US speed record Sale in S7 Twin Turbo that record 399 km/h only one year earlier. In the end, A few km/h went above. Ferdinand Piëch managed to fulfill the dream of breaking two barriers. Bugatti Veyron was the first car in Overcome 1,000 hp and the 400 km/h standing speed. It was the beast that the group needed, a car at the height of a brand like Bugatti, hyperluvian, unique and extremely fast. Photos | Bugatti In Xataka | Bugatti Veyron was a jewel that cost 1.7 million dollars: Volkswagen lost 6.7 million with each one that sold

Mercedes broke out for uncovering the anti -petitive pact

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The European Commission has imposed A sanction of 458 million euros to 15 car manufacturers for its involvement in an illegal pact on recycling. Paradoxically, the scandal was uncovered thanks to Mercedes-Benz, who participated in the framework, but when exposing him to European regulators he obtained total immunity. A pact not to compete. According to the commissionthe manufacturers involved agreed two key practices. On the one hand, not paying vehicle dismantlers, starting from the idea that recycling was a profitable enough business to not have to remunerate it. They did it under a strategy that they baptized as “zero treatment cost.” On the other, they agreed not to make public data on the percentage of recyclability of their vehicles or on the amount of recycled materials used in the manufacture of new cars. The objective was to prevent this information from generating competitive pressure between brands or expectations among consumers. The infraction. These practices went against the Directive 2000/53/CE On vehicles out of use, which establishes that the last owner must be able to deliver his car to a drain without any cost. If necessary, it is the manufacturers themselves who must assume that expense, in addition to adequately informing the recycling and reuse data. The detail of the fines imposed by the EU. The highest sanction has been for Volkswagen, with 127.7 million euros. They are followed by Renault/Nissan with 81 million, and Stellantis with almost 75 million. Toyota, BMW, Ford, Hyundai, GM, Suzuki, Mazda and Volvo also appear on the list, with amounts ranging between 1 and 25 million euros. The ACEA (European Association of Automobile Manufacturers) has also been sanctioned, in this case with a fine of 500,000 euros. The investigation concluded that it acted as a facilitator of the Pact, having organized numerous meetings and coordinated contacts between the manufacturers involved. Mercedes-Benz is fought from fines. Although he participated in the illegal agreement, Mercedes-Benz has not been fined. It was the company that went to the commission in 2019 and activated the clemency program, revealing the existence of the cartel and providing key evidence. If he had not done it, he would have faced a penalty of 35 million euros. Stellantis, Mitsubishi and Ford also subsequently collaborated, which allowed them to obtain reductions in their fines under the same procedure. A pact that crossed borders. The European Commission did not act alone. The investigation was coordinated with the United Kingdom competence authority (CMA), which announced additional sanctions for more than 77 million pounds (about 92 million euros). Among those fined by the British competence authority are Ford and Volkswagen. Challenging times. The news does not arrive at the best time for the sector. The European car industry is under pressure, partly because of the accelerated growth of the sector in China, which threatens to change the global balance. To that are added commercial tensions with the United States, which recently announced new vehicle import tariffs. In the words of Teresa Ribera. The Spanish Commissioner who leads the competition efforts in the European Commission has left a forceful statement: “Today we have taken energetic measures against the companies that were conspired to prevent competition in recycling.” Along these lines, he pointed out that they will not tolerate this type of practices. Images | Yunus Yildiz | Sara Kurfeß | Olga Nayda In Xataka | The extension of the MOVES III Plan is bittersweet: 400 million euros for the electric car and the same problems always

Byd broke the barrier of 100,000 million dollars of income in 2024. It is an unknown milestone for Tesla

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The year 2024 was marked by a huge fight between the two great giants of electric cars. Byd and Tesla played the market with a disparate luck until closing with a technical draw. The last chapter is signed by its financial results. Sales. Byd put 4.27 million cars on the market in 2024. The figure is far from 1.79 million cars delivered by Tesla. Elon Musk’s company He failed to exceed the figure of the previous year (1.81 million units) for the first time in the last ten years. However, Tesla sold more electric cars than byd. Although the Chinese company is famous for its electric cars, the truth is that in 2024 it sold 1.76 million cars, according to Financial Times. The figure It has been ratified In the presentation of results that the Chinese company has carried out last week. Not just EV. That is, Byd has sold almost 2.5 million more cars than Tesla but has managed to enroll plug -in hybrids. In China, plug and electrical hybrids total in the same category (New energy vehicles) But they are not the same. In China, the aid for the purchase of electric cars also add up for new energy vehicles. That is why in Byd they focused 15 years ago. Recently, the company has celebrated break the 10 million units barrier of new energy cars manufactured. To reach the first five million it took 15 years but for the subsequent five million it has only taken fifteen months. A Sorpasso. If we talk about electric cars, BYD has lacked very little to overcome Elon Musk’s company last year. Everything indicates that it will meet the objectives this year although the forecasts point to Sell ​​5.5 million units of new energy cars in 2025. It has not been specified how many would be electric. If these figures are fulfilled, Byd will fight with Stellantis for being the fifth largest car manufacturer in the world. Would reach the figure selling only plug -in hybrid models and electric cars, which does not do any of the rivals that in 2024 he had above (Stellantis, General Motors, Hyundai/Kia, Volkswagen and Toyota). And another already confirmed. If we take into account how 2025 started for Tesla, we can expect Byd to exceed those of Elon Musk in electric. However, in 2024 he already advanced in another equally important parameter: income. Last week he confirmed that they shot over the 107,000 million dollars. The Chinese company thus broke a barrier that Tesla has not overcome so far. The American company stayed last year at 97.7 billion dollars in its income. The prospects for the Chinese company are even more ambitious for 2025, I have the launch of its new products. Without loosening. In 2025, Byd does not plan to lift the foot of the accelerator. The company has begun to deploy loaders who promise 400 kilometers recharges in five minutes. For the moment, Only two of your cars They can carry this power but expected to add new models, especially those of greatest cost. And to this we must add that he recently confirmed that he would put his eye of God in the street (the most advanced driving aid functions) in all his cars, regardless of its price. It is a missile to the company’s flotation line that wants to get an economic performance of it and see how competition gives it. New horizons. In addition to the above, Byd also has a lot to win because it has new markets in April. In front of Tesla, which has four models (And one of them is only sold in the United States)Byd continues to find a hole for its plug -in hybrids and its electric. Having combustion engines in their wallet allows them break in Europe And, above all, in countries where The electric car is less developed. Despite Do not sell in the United Stateswait in 2025 Sell ​​800,000 units outside Chinawhich means duplicating the numbers of 2024. And the battle for China. To all of the above, it must be added that Tesla’s performance in China is being very bad in these first months of 2025. Byd has reached a point where accumulates a 15% market share In sales. Of the total sales, not only of the new energy models. Tesla, however, is in free fall in the market. To the point that in February 2024 a little more than 30,000 units enrolled. It did not reflect such a low figure since July 2022, according to CNEV Post. China, the world’s largest electric car market, does not seem the ideal place to suffer with sales if you sell exclusively electric cars. Photo | Byd and Tesla In Xataka | The electric car is sweeping so much in China that the natural step is already raised: stop calling it “electric”

12 million people delivered their DNA to 23Andme. The company broke, but the problem for users goes further

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“Discover what your DNA says about you and your family.” This is how 23Andme, a company that proposes something as simple as sending a saliva sample and receiving information about the origin of your ancestors or possible relatives lost over time. No needles, without blood: a domestic genetic test that promises personal answers to ancestral questions. A few days after registering on the platform, the user receives at home a small box with a collection tube. You just have to deposit a saliva sample and return the package by mail. From there, the DNA is digitized and analyzed by algorithms. Three or four weeks later, the results appear directly on the entrance tray. In bankruptcy. Open the door to the past for less than $ 120 seemed a proposal for success. However, things did not go as expected. Last Sunday, 23 Andme accepted Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Law, that is, he declared himself in bankruptcy, and his CEO, Anne Wojcicki, soon presented her resignation. This outcome was not sudden. 23Andme had been facing doubts about his business model, disputes with investors and a concern for the property of his huge genetic database. Has never reported net benefits And its stock market value has collapsed in recent yearsentering a complicated field. Wojcicki tried to get the company several times, but its proposals were rejected again and again. “Although it disappoints me that we have reached this situation and that my offer has been rejected, support for the company and I intend to participate as a bidder,” The executive said in a shared message this Monday in X. Privacy nightmare. More than 12 million people, according to figures that we found on their website, shared their DNA with 23andme. Now, they could see how their data end up in the hands of another company. It is a very real possibility: the restructuring process includes the sale of assets with the objective of “maximizing the value of the business.” The situation has lit the alarms of the Attorney General of California, Rob Bonta, who issued an consumer alert focused on privacy. In it, he recalled that any citizen has the right to ask the company to eliminate their data and the destruction of any genetic sample that still retains. The company, on the other hand, has assured that there will be no changes in the way it protects user data during the bankruptcy process. However, your security history is far from being impeccable. Without going any further, last year One of its databases with millions of profiles on the Dark Web was leaked. Images | 23ndme In Xataka | My data has been filtered, now what: the steps you should always take that there is a massive filtration on the Internet that can affect you

Claudia Martín broke the silence about her new beau

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Claudia Martin She has decided to open her heart and be honest about her love life now that she has a new romance with actor Carlos Said.whom he met within his new project on Televisa, the soap opera “Juegos de Amor y Poder.” What did he say about it? Keep reading to find out. In a recent meeting with the press, The protagonist of stories like “Love has no recipe” and “Overcome guilt” confessed that her relationship with the actor has only been a few months old.which is why they decided to keep her out of the spotlight. However, the displays of affection on social networks, as well as the occasional romantic post on Instagram, have been present in recent weeks: “I am very happy, we have already shared that, we have already said it and right now I just want to say that, that we are both very happy, we shared some photos and that is where we are, that we are getting to know each other“He told the cameras. When asked about how “the spark” arose between the two, Claudia Martín said that she was the one who decided to take the first step towards a relationship beyond friendship after finding that they had several things in common. “Once upon a time we had already worked on Como tú no hay dos, maybe a production by Carlos Bardasano, from 2019, and now we met again and nothing, that’s how it happened“She explained excitedly. “We haven’t been around for a long time, really, we’re still getting to know each other.” Despite having met years ago, the famous woman stated that their romance took them by surprise, since in the melodrama “Juegos de Amor y Poder” their interactions are very far from the reality they live. “In fact in the story we hate each other, his character totally hates me in the story because he is the antagonist, everyone is very bad, but he is very, very bad“, he added during the interview. To conclude his speech, Martín said he was happy at this stage of his life, following the mantra he adopted for 2025: “We come to this world to be happy, without harming others and I will always seek my own happiness,” he stated. Continue reading: • Claudia Martín confirms her breakup with actor Hugo Catalán• Claudia Martín answers if there was a third party in discord that caused her breakup with Hugo Catalán

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