Ancestry is laying off about 6 percent of its workforce — about 100 people — due to a decline in customer demand during the last 18 months, as GenomeWeb has reported.
In a blog post, Margo Georgiadis, president and chief executive officer of Ancestry, says that the DNA market is at an inflection point, as most early adopters of testing have already sought it.
She adds that "[f]uture growth will require a continued focus on building consumer trust and innovative new offerings that deliver even greater value to people." Following these cuts, she says that Ancestry will focus on its core Family History business and seek to grow its recently launched AncestryHealth business.
An Ancestry spokesperson tells CNBC that these decisions were "not made lightly and were incredibly difficult" and that it is "a tough day."
This announcement comes on the heels of 23andMe laying off about 100 workers, about 14 percent of its staff, also due to a decline in sales.