winstonBosan's Shortform

Today, there is a distinct lack of faith. 
This lack of faith has permeated all pairs of 16oz denims, event merch hoodies and smartwool socks. The lack of faith is insidious, bad, and all things molochian.

Actually, screw this manifesto writing style. I am about to meta criticize myself for a style that has NOT aged well and tends to be way too authoritarian in tone but measly in effective information communicated.

Actually, screw this meta-criticism. In all good faith, I didn't have to write the criticism. I could have simply done the internal self-criticism and just deleted what I have written to start anew. Instead, I have now left it as a slightly well-disguised monument to my apparent self-improved and evolution. But really, just to stroke my ego and fill the word count.

Actually, have I written anything of content yet? Have I put my pen to paper and allow the ink to betray my trust when my back is turned? (also known as drying)

Oh no... Better start counting the trains that leave Datong for the trail of coal crumbs.

 

Real Content Soon™

Could it be worth it to buy 23andme stocks if you want some of their user's data?

Naively, the sticker price of 75M USD (today's market cap) for all of their user data might seem cheap - all together for genomes of roughly 12 million users. It seems reasonably cheap to me on a replacement cost and opportunity-cost basis.

However, the 49% basically-majority shareholder is CEO Anne Wojcicki and a "possibility is that Wojcicki has unreasonable plans to take the company private at a bargain-basement price^[1]". If you takes this path forward as a decidedly important but minority shareholder, the only clear way forward is to hope for a shareholder oppression lawsuit in your favour. And instead of cashing out, you hope you can turn your skill set of "being annoying enough" into data in-lieu of cash (Note: if this is done through bankruptcy process, I can't see the trustee agreeing to this plan.)  

Even given the obstacles, is this a deal? Or is this just a bad price for this particular bag of information? Is 23andme's information sufficiently low fidelity that it might not be useful at all except to relate yourself to fractional vikings?

1. ^{^}

   Per Matt Levine - Money Stuff, Sep 19, 2024