3. Trust on Trial: Governance, Board Resignations, and Crisis Comms Lessons from 23andMe
Update: 2025-10-02
Description
In this episode of Reputation Nation, Anne Marie Malecha and Stacy Bratcher dive into how 23andMe’s breach escalated into a governance and trust crisis, including mass board resignations, founder dynamics, and a communications response that blamed users and arrived late on key safeguards like multifactor authentication (MFA). The hosts explain why a $30M class action is small next to the brand’s reputational debt, how boards should manage fiduciary duties under pressure, and what “do no harm” looks like in the first 24 hours of a crisis. The conversation closes with a practical Fast Four on accountability, legal realities in bankruptcy, product-data alignment, and the long road to rebuilding trust.
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